Fatal Flaws
by KaliAnn
Summary: Part one of season three trilogy. Everyone has character flaws. Something that is not appealing to other people. But for heroes their flaws can be fatal at times. The Miraculous heroes are about to learn what their fatal flaws are. With a little help from the Humanities Circle, can the heroes identify and grow as individuals or will their fatal flaws stop them?
1. Passive

**Hello readers and welcome to the first story in the Season Three trilogy! I can't wait to read your reviews, but I first would like to explain somethings in this trilogy. One, the situation with Lila will be slightly different because she's in Mendieviel's class in my stories, but there will still be salty moments. Two, I have heard rumors of the Chinese Zodiac Miraculous Circle will be used in this season. Depending on what happens in the episode, I may or may not change the wielder. Lastly, each story in this trilogy will feature one of my original Miraculous Circles so I hope you like them. **

* * *

Every day there was a crisis around the world that needed the United Nations help to resolve. Diplomacy was a slow going progress and getting parties to agree and keep their promises was rather difficult. There were so many issues to tackle and it was rather hard to decide which crises should be immediately prioritized and what could be pushed back a little.

The Security Council was still trying to deal with the civil war in Syria and finding a solution to the Israel/Pakistan conflict. Terrorist attacks continue in the Middle East as well as different regions in Asia. Humanitarian crises were popping up in Venezuela, Yemen, and Haiti. Violence was escalating in Mali, DR Congo, and Sudan.

Right now in her bunker home, Ning was reviewing the status of the situation between Ukraine and Russia. Ever since the invasion and occupation occurred in 2014, the UN the Security Council had been working hard on resolving the conflict and getting Russian troops out of Ukraine.

The problems between the two countries had begun when Ukraine had declared its independence in 1991. Russia still saw parts of the country, especially the region known as Crimea, as belonging to them. It had a valuable seaport Russia didn't want to lose.

As time went multiple factors ranging from financial gain and government policy eroded relationships between the Russian and Ukraine. Finally, in 2014 unmarked Russian troops, called little green men in local media, took control of the region and annexed for their home country.

The citizens of Ukraine felt violated and hated the increased presences of Russia's military and border patrols made the situation even more unstable. In 2016 Russia claimed that Ukrainians attacked their servicemen, killing several men. However, their claims were considered false by Ukraine and the US ambassador in the country agreed with them.

Since then there had been even more conflicts between the countries and among the population. There were groups in Ukraine who believed that it was best to accept the Russians controlled their country and they would have to live with.

Others disagreed and fought against the invaders leading to many bloody battles and more of Ukraine land was taken control by Russia. Over the next several years more troops were sent by both governments to fight for the countries in an international arms race which grew so big that even the UN had difficulties sorting out the truth.

Steps were being taken to ensure peace between the two governments in order to stop the bloodshed and resume a sense of normality. Rosemary DiCarlo, the current Under Security General, had given a speech in a meeting requested by Ukraine, in the wake of Ukrainian presidential elections and the signing of a decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin the citizens in parts of eastern Ukraine, the ability to apply for Russian passports, under a simplified procedure.

The decree was aiming to establish peace in the conflicted areas in order to protect the citizens' rights and freedom. If it worked, border crossing incidents would go down saving many lives.

Ning was watching a recording of the speech to see the reactions of both parties. "Hmm, Ukraine is not happy that Russia is trying to interfere in what is considered an internal affair because it goes against the Minsk Agreements.

Ukraine and Russia must uphold the spirit of the agreements if the conflict is to stop. Although I don't know if the Ukrainians troops will remove their landmines to prevent children from dying because those in the conflict zone believe the security measure is needed."

Ning shook her head slightly knowing that until the divide between the eastern part of Ukraine and the rest of the country united under one purpose the problems between them and Russia would never be resolved.

"Politicians are so bull headed. They bring out the worst of human behavior with their rhetoric. The Russian government's actions not only violated UN law but is responsible for dividing the people. It is hard for people to unite if they believe there's no hope this will end."

Ning got out of her chair and stretched loosening her limbs. She had been reviewing the conflict for several hours now. She had been given a brief about her next mission. She was heading for the conflict zone in an attempt to garner support for unification in Ukraine so that talks between the two countries would be easier to do.

"I wish there was a magical solution to the problem. I know magic can exasperate a situation, but it can also deescalate problems," she said to herself. Thoughts about a certain Miraculous Circle came to mind.

The ongoing conflicts were considered to be humanities crises. The Humanity Circle would be helpful if they could find the proper people to wield them. Finding good people would be difficult, but it would also be risky considering the weapons fire.

"With Master Fu being the only Great Guardian, he has to keep an eye on all the Miraculous. He can't leave Paris and go to the crises zone to watch over the Circle to ensure the safe return of the Miraculous. I know I'm not ready to be a full time Guardian of a circle."

The Miraculous belong in France at the moment. A supernatural threat was a priority. Hawkmoth might take a vacation from Paris to go claim other Miraculouses if he heard they were another country.

An image of Hawkmoth forming an alliance with President Putin and giving him a Miraculous to control was a scary image. She shuddered at the thought. "Hawkmoth already abuses Nooroo, I can only imagine what Putin would do if he had a Miraculous."

Releasing the Humanities Circle was not the answer. Yet, awakening the Kwamiis and let them learn about modern crises, would certainly help prepare them if they were ever needed in the future.

"I think it's time I get in touch with my mentor. After all, he did promise to let each Circle have some time out of their Miraculouses." She headed into her kitchen, grabbed an apple out of the fridge and headed into her bedroom to relax while she talked to her mentor.

* * *

Using her special laptop, she was able to connect to her mentor on a secure and private line that no one could hack into. There was a beeping sound and she heard muttering at the other end. It sounded suspiciously like Honorra giving Fu instructions on how to use his newly updated video conferencing equipment.

At last the screen turned on and she was face to face with her mentor. "Greetings Ning, it is a nice surprise to hear from you. Are you having any difficulties with your retrocognition ability?"

She shook her head. "I've been working on it in my spare time. It's easier to focus on the visions while still being aware of what's going on around me. I wanted to tell you about where I'm going next and an idea I had."

Behind Fu's head, she saw Honorra whispering something to Wayzz, who squirmed uncomfortably in the air. It was nice to see the two getting along better.

Fu listened patiently as she explained how she would be in Ukraine for the next few weeks and how her mission reminded her of the importance of showing humanity to others and how she thought it would be a good idea to let the Humanities Circle out so they could learn about the modern world in the event they were needed.

Fu stroked his beard as he thought of her idea. He had promised to let the other Circles out for a little bit to get caught up with the modern world. He also knew letting Honorra spend time with her "siblings" would help her recover faster. Her use during the Hero Day's battle had set her recovery back.

He glanced at Wayzz, their eyes meeting as a private conversation was conveyed between the two. Eventually, the two came to an agreement. "I agree with your suggestion. While it is dangerous to have more Kwamiis active with Hawkmoth around it is also important that each circle learns about the modern world to help out if needed."

Ning nodded in agreement. "I'm sure Marinette and Adrien can help with showing them the modern world and protect them from harm. I can only see the two of them benefiting from their interactions with the Humanities Circle Kwamiis. I wish I could be there to interact with them."

"If you find yourself passing through France in the near future, you should stop by for a visit. I miss your company."

Ning's eyes crinkled hearing that. She also missed Fu, the only adult who had ever treated like a real child when she was growing up. Promising to keep in touch she ended the call so she could rest up for her journey tomorrow.

In Paris, Master Fu had taken out the Miraculous Chest, containing the Humanities Circle, from the newly installed safe he had purchased. With so many Miraculouses in one place, he needed to ensure their safety.

Ning had sent the funds and a recommendation for what type of safe to get. The safe itself was about the size of a mini fridge and was hidden in a secret compartment under his bed. It required a combination, fingerprint, and DNA scan to open making it super secured.

Bringing the chest to the main room, he locked all doors and windows, before casting wards. He opened the box and removed the Miraculouses and placed them on the table.

Honorra was trying to keep herself from exploding from excitement. Finally, she would get a proper amount of time with her siblings! She watched as the Miraculouses started to glow before there was a flash of light.

Seven more Kwamiis appeared hovering in the air, their eyes closed and their arms against their bodies. One by one they all opened their eyes and blinked. For the first time, Fu and Wayzz got a good look at Honorra's "siblings".

They remembered what Ellery looked like from before so the first kwami they took a look at was Stuffo. His head was much more angular than a real panda and his ears were tiny nubs. His eyes were light black. Other than that, he looked like a real panda.

Bukku had antlers and a small mane running down the back of his head. His hands/paws were shaped like hooves and his eyes were amber colored. His body was covered in tiny yellowish brown fur, typical of a Sambar deer, the animal he resembled.

Huhu ears were slightly bigger than the rest of his head and he had a long, thin tail. His tiny nose was shaped like a canine's. His fur and eye color matched the coloring of a painted dog.

Cammie had long lashes and tiny humps on her back. Her feet and hands/paws were a little bigger than other Kwamiis. Surprisingly, her eyes were gray instead of brown like a real camel.

Socco was different from other Kwamiis. His navy blue colored eyes bulged out and he was covered in fish scales. The color pattern matched a spawning male.

Gigi was the one who most resembled her animal species. She had a long bright tipped tail and her ears were raised and rounded. Her eyes were dusky brown and her fur was rufous with black spots on her neck, back, and sides. If it wasn't for her big head and tiny size one might think she was a real genet.

* * *

Ellery was the first to speak. "Thank you for awakening us, Great Guardian. We are here to serve in any matter of conflict you see fit for our Circle."

Honorra giggled. "Oh Ellery, right now our Circle isn't needed for a situation. Master Fu is keeping his promise of letting you out to stretch your bodies and learn about the modern world."

Everyone smiled and Huhu added this would be an excellent time to restore the information about their circle in the Miraculous Book. The others agreed with him.

"Are you going to take us outside for a trip or are we supposed to learn about the world from Honorra and her strange device? Because I really want to go outside and have some fun, if that is okay with your Great Guardian," Bukku added in a feisty tone. The kwami of compassion did have a rowdy side to him.

Master Fu assured him they would get a chance to go outside soon. First, he needed to summon Ladybug and Chat Noir to assist in keeping them safe. He hoped they were ready for taking care of another kwami for a few weeks instead of a weekend.

It took a few hours for the heroes to arrive. Marinette had been helping her parents with a big order for an important client and Adrien had a very long photo shoot that kept him busy for most of the day. At last, they both arrived at Fu's and were pleasantly surprised to see Honorra's "siblings"

"Marinette, Adrien, please come meet my "brothers" and "sisters!" Honorra chirped happily. She did a little twirl in the air as she rapidly introduced the two humans to her family.

Socco laughed at seeing how cheerful Honorra was. "I haven't seen you this exuberant in ages Honorra. These two humans must be amazing if you're this happy to properly introduce us."

"I've just been lonely with only Wayzz for company here. Since you'll be out for a few weeks, I'm going to make the most of our time together, before you have to go back and leave me here to recover."

Adrien blinked a few times as he mentally reviewed what he just heard. "A few weeks? Master Fu, I thought you said it would be too dangerous to have the Circles awake for an extended period of time right now."

Marinette nodded in agreement. "I thought that you were only going to awaken the Circles for a day or two so you could update the Miraculous Book."

"It was pointed out to me by Ning, how it would be helpful if Honorra's "siblings" learned about the modern world and current humanitarian crises. Having them awake means they can help Honorra in her recovery."

Plagg flew out of Adrien's bag sensing where this was going. "Are you making us their babysitters? It's hard enough keeping myself hidden from _his_ babysitters. I don't want the extra responsibility of watching over my "cousins."

Tikki flew out of Marinette's purse and scolded Plagg. "We should be honored to help our cousins, not make them feel like a burden."

Master Fu struck his gong to quiet the two of them. He told them to put on their listening ears as he explained his plan. The Humanities Circle would be spending a lot of time here with him. Three days out of the week the two heroes would be responsible for their care and acclimating them to this day and age.

He was not comfortable with all the Kwamiis going out at one time yet. He would start the teens off by allowing one extra kwami each. He left it up to the Kwamiis themselves to pick who would go first and which human they wanted.

In hush tones, the group talked among themselves. They gestured or raised themselves up before being pulled back down to the group. After five minutes two Kwamiis, Socco and Gigi levitated forward.

Socco spoke first. "If it is alright with the two of you, I would very much like to spend time with you Ms. Dupain-Cheng. I confess I have not had many female wielders and would like to get to know what a strong female acts like."

A blush colored Marinette's cheeks as she stammered out she would be happy to show him the behavior of a strong female type.

Gigi floated over to Adrien, her tail swishing about. "I have heard how well you and Plagg work together. I was hoping I could go with you and learn more about your partnership."

Adrien held out his hands for Gigi to land on. "I don't know what you have heard about our partnership, but I promise you'll have a good time with us. Silk squash will be easier to get then Camembert."

After getting everything they needed and promising to come back in three days, the two teens headed home with their little guest Kwamiis.

* * *

The next day Marinette arrived early to school. Ever since she received Ning's gift, she hadn't been late to school once. Stepping into a corner she opened her purse to check on her guest. "Are you comfortable Socco? Do you need anything?"

Socco nodded before taking a small bite out of the peach fruit Marinette had put in before she left for school. "There is more than enough space in here for Tikki and me to be comfortable sharing it. This peach should last me all day if I eat it in moderation."

"I'll make sure Socco doesn't accidentally get seen. We'll be fine."

Marinette smiled at the two, her eyes sparkling with joy. She zipped the purse closed and started walking towards her classroom when she heard someone crying softly. Tilting her head she was surprised to see Nathaniel under the stairs with tears on his face.

She walked over and sat down next to Nathaniel. "What's wrong Nathaniel? I don't think I've seen you cry at school before."

He mumbled an agreement and buried his head in his arms. He muttered something, but what she could not make out what he was saying. "Nathaniel, please tell me what's wrong."

He looked up at her and dabbed the tears off his face. "I've been booted out of Ms. Bustier's class. I'm in Ms. Mendievel's class now." Seeing Marinette's confused and shocked expression he elaborate on what he said. "Lila Rossi is being transferred into Ms. Bustier's class because her teaching is more along the lines of what she wants to "study" in lychee.

It was suggested I would do better in Ms. Mendievel's class so I would be more focused and pick a "better" career. I'm upset about the fact they didn't even ask me what I wanted. I know my parents would never agree to this."

"If they don't agree, then they shouldn't be transferring you to another class! Didn't Mr. Damocles and the teachers talk with your parents?"

"They said they did and they were fine with it, but I don't see how they talked with them considering they're on a trip in the mountains right now with hardly any reception." His expression was downcast as he rocked back and forth. "I just know Liar Rossi is behind this somehow."

Marinette wasn't surprised by his comment. Back when Lila first arrived, Nathaniel was the only one besides her who didn't fall for Lila's lies. He had protected her from the girl's attempts to harm her and make Adrien break up with her.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed his shoulder. "This isn't fair at all. I'm going to talk to the teachers and Mr. Damocles. As the class representative, I'm supposed to make sure my classmates are treated fairly."

Nathaniel gave her a grateful look before sighing again and trudging his way towards his new class. She was righteously angry at the school faculty for believing Lila over the person who knew Nathaniel's parents the best.

Determinedly she walked into the classroom and was shocked by what she saw. Alya was interviewing Lila who was sitting in _her_ seat. "Excuse me, but is there a reason you're sitting my seat, Lila?"

Lila looked up at Marinette and for a split second, you could see the hatred she had against Marinette, mostly because she was Adrien's girlfriend and she obviously wasn't intimidated by her.

"Marinette, how wonderful is it we'll be classmates now. Alya was just telling me about how you're an everyday Ladybug after she finished interviewing me about my experience on Heroes Day."

The Chinese French girl felt her right eyebrow twitch. Her experience on Heroes Day? The only experience she had was trying to kill her with a dagger in order to claim the earrings for herself. If Kkachi hadn't stopped her, she wouldn't have been able to fight during the final battle.

Once more, Alya had been there when the attack happened as Rena Rouge. She knew Lila hadn't been akumatized when she attacked them so why was the girl smiling?

"Did you know Lila was at the Eiffel Tower ready to help Ladybug and the others? Too bad those scarlet akumas messed with her mind or she wouldn't have accidentally attacked the heroes."

Marinette clenched her jaw. How in the world did Alya fall for that lie? It was obvious to anyone Lila had been in full control of her actions. None of the other victims had mentioned confusion after being transformed into scarlet versions of themselves.

"That's nice Alya, but I did ask Lila a question. Why are you in my seat?"

Lila pretended to look confused. "This is _your _seat? I had no idea. Alya didn't mention this seat was already occupied. I assumed I would be sitting next to her when class started."

Marinette glared at Alya silently asking her if she was going to let Lila sit next to her in the seat the girl had worked very hard to get back. Alya returned with her own glower not seeing the big deal. "Girl chill. It's just a seat and since Lila's transferred into our class, I thought she could use a friend to make the transition easier. You can have Nathaniel's old seat."

Marinette opened her mouth to protest when the rest of the class arrived. Immediately, they all surrounded Lila telling her how great it was she was in their class now and invites to outings she missed because of her amnesia last year.

Adrien also politely welcomed Lila back. His feelings about Lila were mixed. In the past, she had been a thief, hunted him, and had tried to seduce him. On the other hand, her memories of her past life had been completely rewritten and he hadn't heard about her causing trouble in Ms. Mendievel's class so he was willing to give her a chance.

He saw that Marinette wanted to talk. Class was starting so it would have to be latter. He was having lunch at his home so whatever she wanted to discuss would have to be after school.

Inside his bag, Gigi's tail twitched. She sensed something was wrong. "Plagg, is there any trouble in Adrien's personal life? I'm getting the sense a situation is brewing."

Plagg rolled his eyes and took a bite out of his cheese. "My kid personal life is full of trouble. I wouldn't get too worried. If something happens, then we'll act. Right now I need a nap." The cat kwami stretched his limbs, yawned than laid down for a nap.

It was hard for Marinette to sit still in her new seat. She couldn't believe that Alya would push her out of her seat so she could sit next to her "new" friend. Wasn't she Alya's "best friend"? Apparently not, if the reporter girl didn't understand why Marinette was upset about this.

* * *

When lunchtime arrived, Marinette thought Adrien would wait for her so they could talk for a few minutes. Instead, he hurried out the door the second the bell rang.

Frustrated, Marinette walked over to Ms. Bustier's desk, who looked up when she realized one student was still in the classroom. "Marinette, is there something I can help you with?"

Taking a moment to compose herself, Marinette took a deep breath and started talking. "Ms. Bustier, I am here on behave of Nathaniel. It wasn't right to force him out of the class to make room for Lila."

The teacher inclined her head, "It might now seem fair, but we discussed it with Mr. Damocles and Nathaniel's parents. The same goes with Lila's family I assure you they approved of the transfer."

"Did you talk with them in person or on the phone?"

"The phone of course."

Marinette narrowed her eyes. "Aren't transfers discussed in person to make sure everyone agrees with each other? Nathaniel told me his parents were on a trip in the mountains with little reception. How do you know for sure you talked to them?"

Ms. Bustier looked startled that her kindest and most helpful student was insinuating that she had been tricked. How dare one of her students to take it upon themselves to question her judgment?

"Before you snap at me and give me detention, really look at the situation. Lila's has stated several times she's going to be part of her family's business. In order to get a degree in Business Management, she needs to follow a curriculum with lots of math and sciences. That's Ms. Mendievel's specialty, yours is aimed for literature and art, which is what Nathaniel wants."

"People can change their minds Marinette. You have detention today after school for talking back to me."

The girl refused to cry and left the classroom. She went to the girl's bathroom and went into a stall opening her purse, letting Tikki and Socco out. "Are you okay Marinette?" Tikki questioned.

"Not really." The girl looked at the floor and kicked her legs back and forth. "I never thought my teacher wouldn't give my words some thought. I didn't mean for my words to sound accusing. I just wanted to help my friend out."

Tikki patted her wielder on the cheek telling her she knew that. She was a wonderful person and looked out for her friends. This might be a situation she couldn't.

Socco disagreed with Tikki. "From what I've heard and observed, it does seems to be something amiss. Marinette made some good points. Proper procedure was not followed and we still have not talked to the other teacher or the principle." He went over and tilted the girl's head up. "I encourage you to keep going until you know the truth."

With those words of encouragement, the teen clumsily got to her feet and left the bathroom, nearly tripping through the doorway as she continued on with her mission.

Nathaniel watched from across the courtyard as he spotted Marinette going to Ms. Mendievel's classroom. "Hopefully, she will convince the teacher to listen to me and I can get back in my class."

"Don't you mean _my class_?" an oily voice asked from behind him. Seething in anger Nathaniel turned around and saw Lila standing there with smug on her face and her arms crossed.

Lila walked over and tapped Nathaniel's chest hard. "I'm in Ms. Bustier's class like I always should have been instead of that b**** woman's class because of the number of students per class." Tossing her hair back she added, "You should be happy about this switch. After all, it wasn't like anyone would ever buy your rubbishy, worthless, art pieces."

The boy clenched his fists and counted to ten in his head. "Why are you doing this now Lila? You've been here for months now and most of Ms. Mendievel class has fallen for your lies."

"That's right, _most _of them." Lila hissed in a deadly manner. Her body language shifted as she unconsciously fell into her mission stance. "There are a few people in my old class that I couldn't manipulate, such as Kagami and Ms. Mendievel herself."

Tossing her hair back she laughed at the boy's puzzled expression. "With you out of the way, no one will think to question what I have to say. I can control the whole class and even convince Adrien to break up with that pathetic waste of space."

Nathaniel blanched upon hearing this. Lila was connected to his transfer and now she was going to hurt his friends and Marinette. He couldn't let that happen! "You'll never get away with this. My parents will show up and demand an explanation for this transfer. Not to mention Marinette's is talking with the teachers to help me out."

Lila was not paying attention to him, she was looking at something behind him. Before the boy could see what it was, Lila jabbed her fingers into the pressure point on his shoulder, rendering him unconscious.

Lila stared at her hands, how did she know how to do that? Doesn't matter, right now she needed to stop Marinette from interfering with her fun. Removing her earring, she swiped it in the air, connecting with the Akuma creating a connection.

"Hello, Hawkmoth. Do you remember me?"

In his lair, Hawkmoth chilled hearing her voice. She had not been his intended target and after using her one time during Heroes Day, he had no intention of akumatizing her ever again.

_"Master, don't make a bargain with her. Recall the akuma before something goes wrong." _

_ "I won't let a child have power over me!" _Against his better judgment, he made a bargain with Lila. She would become Chameleon, a supervillain with the ability to take on another living being's appearance by kissing them, to achieve her goals. In exchange, she would give him the Miraculouses.

* * *

An hour later Chameleon was defeated, but it came at a personal cost to both heroes. Lila's actions had created problems in their classmates' relationships with one another. The trust between Nino and Adrien was strained because Nino was under the impression whoever Lila had turned into, she also possessed their personality and thoughts.

Alya was suspicious of Marinette's disappearances during Akuma attacks. She was wondering if Marinette was somehow involved in them. The rest of the class wondered if Marinette and Adrien really were a couple because, during the attack, she had "broken up" with Adrien in a cruel manner.

The worst was the way Ms. Bustier regarded Marinette now. She had been able to help Nathaniel out by getting Ms. Mendievel and Mr. Damocles to follow proper procedure when it came to the transferring of students.

It turned out to be a huge misunderstanding between the teens and their families. Lila's mother had agreed to talk to Ms. Bustier about how well her daughter was doing in her language class and she didn't mean to imply she wanted Lila to transfer into her class.

Nathaniel's parents were also confused and hurt. They had never received a call from the school so they couldn't have talked to the teachers. They knew their son was happy and doing well in Ms. Bustier's class. Whoever they talked to must have been behind this cruel prank.

While everything was back to normal, Ms. Bustier was still angry about Marinette questioning her judgment and tattling to the other parties involved to correct the situation. That meant Marinette still had to serve her detention.

The entire situation frustrated the teenager. How could one Akuma make her friends and favorite teacher turn on her? That they would question her about her actions and have their perceptions about her twisted.

Adrien had come over to the bakery after fencing so they could finally talk. He listened as his girlfriend unloaded her feelings.

"I just don't understand this. Ms. Bustier has been my teacher for years now. I have never done anything malicious to her. I wasn't questioning her judgment! I was simply pointing out that something wasn't right about the situation. I've done it before and she didn't get mad or give me a detention."

Tikki pattered her wielder's cheek assuring her this would blow over in time. "I believe that your teacher was just upset in the manner you confronted her in. You'll see, this will all blow over."

"Stay positive. You did the right thing confronting your teacher. After all, your determination to help your friend resolve a harrowing situation," Socco added. "The water is moving downstream perfectly now."

Adrien frowned at Socco words. The blond had not appreciated having to fight Lila again with new powers when it never needed to happen in the first place. "There wouldn't have been a situation if Marinette had just given Lila a chance to fit in our class, instead of trying to push her out."

Everyone in the room stared at Adrien in shock. What had Marinette done to make Adrien concluded this was her fault?

"How can you say that to me?! I didn't confront her at all," she responded in a shaky voice. "We both know she's not a good person. After everything she's done, how can you believe this is my fault?"

He looked at her with critical eyes. "It's not fair for you to judge her by a past she no longer remembers. I know she was a thief and hunted us down to kill for her crime family, but she's not that person anymore. Her family no longer deals in crime thanks to their new memories they're legit owners of a multi-million company.

Thanks to Ning and Trixx, Lila's has a second chance in life. She's a normal girl trying to fit in and do her best in school." He looked out her window staring at the school. "Kagami mentioned a few times before that Lila has some problems with the rest of the class. Maybe that's why she wanted to transfer to our class."

When he didn't elaborate on what the problems were, Marinette pointed out Lila was still lying and had deceived the school in order to get transferred to their class for some reason. How it was unfair of her to bully Nathaniel to get what she wanted.

"There's no proof Lila was behind the misunderstanding or intentionally set the wheels in motion. Also if Lila was at lunch in the cafeteria, how could she have been in the courtyard to bully Nathaniel?"

Plagg looked at Adrien in disgust. "How do you know for certain that was the case? You weren't even there! She could have left at any time to go to the courtyard. That is where she was akumatized."

"Perhaps she was on her way to the bathroom where Nathaniel caught up with her. He was angry about the situation and I'm sure he would have argued with her causing her to be upset enough to attract an akuma."

Marinette grinned her teeth before pointing out the ridiculousness of his claim. "Hawkmoth would have been attracted to Nathaniel anger and being bullied. Hawkmoth is clearly afraid of Lila. He didn't let her keep her akuma during Heroes Day."

Her boyfriend responded that their foe must not be too afraid if he gave her powers three times. "Lila deserves a second chance. If she wants to make friends with the class because of problems with her own classmates then we can at least let her have some friends in ours. It's wrong to deliberately interfere with her second chance."

Marinette stood up and put her hands on her hips. This was unbelievable. It felt as if a writer for a cartoon decided to do away with the history and reality of the show just so they could have some drama in the new season.

"She lied Adrien! Her lies hurt Nathaniel and me. People who have known me for years are treating me differently because of her. My best friend thinks I might have a connection with the attacks and not in a good way.

Kagami is in her class along with some of my other friends. What do you think would happen to Kagami if Lila started lying about her and causing her to lose her spot on the fencing team. Did you even think about that?"

The boy waved his hand dismissing her concern about Kagami. She was too smart and strong to let any lies Lila _might_ come up with, get to her. "I'm tired of having to fight Lila over and over again. The best way to avoid that is to not rock the boat and let things be. Shouldn't we do our best to avoid causing an akumanzation of a person?"

It happened so fast neither one comprehended what happened at first. Furious with her boyfriend's passive nature she slapped him hard on the cheek. Adrien touched his cheek in disbelief that she actually slapped him.

Marinette started to apologize then stopped. Why should she apologize to him about her feelings on the subject? He truly believed Lila was no longer a threat and that if they ignored her actions, they might not have to face her again. Avoiding one fight was more significant than preventing multiple attacks because of the consequences of Lila's actions? No, that was not right at all.

"Get out now Adrien. If you're too blind to realize your passiveness will only lead to more people getting hurt, then I don't want to see or talk to you." She pointed to the trapdoor and tapped her feet waiting for him to do as she asked.

"Marinette, I don't understand why you're angry." He reached for her, but she slapped his hands away once more ordering him to go. This angered him a lot. They had been through so much together. How could she be turning her back on him like this?

Snatching his bag, he stormed out of the room, slamming the trapdoor, ran out the door in a huff as he walked home. Inside his bag, Plagg was scowling and Gigi appeared contrite by what Adrien had said.

Gigi cleared her throat to get Plagg's attention. "Are you going to talk to him about his behavior today?"

Plagg nodded before punching the bottom of the bag with his little hand/paw. He admitted he didn't know if Adrien would even listen to him and understand what he did wrong.

"Adrien's a nice kid and I love that he can afford to give me huge amounts of fancy cheese. It's not just how he was raised or his limit social interaction with his peers causing this problem. He's fairly oblivious to the obvious and do not get me started on how tunnel vision he can get."

Plagg shuddered as he imagined what the situation would be like if Adrien hadn't found out Ladybug's identity and started going out with Marinette. He had no doubt Adrien would be driving him up the wall and ignoring Plagg's subtle advice.

Then perhaps he needs to learn how to be more aware of his thoughts and actions the genet kwami thought to herself.

* * *

Arriving back in his room Adrien threw his bag onto his bed before storming into his bathroom. His cheek was still red from where she slapped him. He winced as he touched the stinging skin. "I can't believe she slapped me! Marinette, who always tries to avoid violence, slapped me!"

Plagg and Gigi entered the bathroom. The cat kwami frowned at the boy while the genet looked thoughtfully at the blond. Neither spoke as the kid whetted a washcloth and patted it a few times on his cheek.

Noticing the Kwamiis reflections in his mirror he turned to speak to them. "Can you believe this Plagg? I thought Marinette and I were together in everything. Just because I pointed out her strategy was wrong, she slapped me! Maybe she's not the girl I thought she was."

"Maybe you're not the gentlemen you thought you were. How could you speak down to your girlfriend accusing her of causing Lila's akumanzation?"

"Lila deserves a second chance! We haven't seen or heard of her causing problems in Ms. Mendievel's class. So when she transferred to our class, Marinette went out of her way to get Lila out of the class. It was cruel and wrong." He crossed his arms and stared down at Plagg.

"Are you hearing yourself? You're defending someone who has shown in her past she's dangerous and has no regard for anyone except herself. That just because she can't remember her past actions, all is forgiven? How blind are you?" Plagg's tail twitched in anger as he stared up into his kitten's eyes.

Adrien was about to angrily retort when Gigi made a small noise to draw his attention. The teen had forgotten she was even there for a moment. "Do you need something Gigi?"

She inclined her head slightly. "I'm a bit hungry. Can I have some silk squash?"

Adrien told her he would go get some now from the kitchen and he would be right back. When he left, she floated over to her "cousin" and whispered in his ears what her plan was. The smile on his face assured her it was a good plan.

* * *

Adrien came back a few minutes later and saw Plagg offering Gigi some of his cheese. That stunned him because Plagg never wanted to share his precious cheese because he was a selfish glutton being.

Gigi politely declined Plagg's offer. After watching him eat it in one gulp, she turned around and levitated over to Adrien who was holding slices of her favorite food. "Thank you for the food. Plagg offered me some of his, unfortunately, dairy products make me nauseous."

"Plagg offered to _share_ his cheese with you?" He peered past her and stared at said kwami with suspicious eyes. "You're a selfish glutton. What possessed you to offer her some cheese?"

Plagg huffed pretending to be offended. "Just because you can't see your character flaws, doesn't mean I don't know mine." He stuck out his tongue at Adrien.

The teenager had a look of uncertainty on his face. Gigi landed on his shoulder and explained the situation to him. "You acknowledge the fact no one can be perfect?" When she got a nod she continued. "That means everyone in the world has a few flaws in their personality. Most flaws are minor, but each person has a serious character flaw unique to them that can be fatal. Hence the term fatal flaw found in Greek Mythology."

She tickled her tail under the boy's nose causing him to sneeze and Gigi giggled in delight. "Do you know what your fatal flaw is Adrien?" When he said nothing Gigi informed him. "Your fatal flaw is being passive."

Adrien spurted in disbelief. "What do you mean being passive is a fatal flaw. Being mean never gets you what you want. Besides, isn't there a kwami of pacifism, Danndy, right?"

Gigi blinked her eyes acknowledging he was correct. "Pacifism is part of the Ideology Circle, it is a way of life. However, a pacifist does not fight but they do stand their ground, something you don't do."

The kwami held up her hand/paw warning the human to stay quiet. It was time he listened to her and appreciate her advice. "Being passive at times is a good thing. There are times being too passive means people get hurt."

Tapping her chest she reminded him of the purpose of the Humanities Circle. "Our job is to represent the best of humanity and guide people to make the right choice so others follow in their footsteps.

I am the kwami of Awareness. What that means is not only am I responsible for making others knowledgeable of the situations. I also have a duty to make people aware of how their own actions affect others."

Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms making sure Adrien was paying complete attention to her words. "You believe that if you do nothing things will change. You believe that Lila, a girl who has shown in the past and is still displaying dangerous behavior, is worthy of a second chance? That you would blame Marinette for trying to help Nathaniel out and for Nathaniel telling the truth, they're the ones responsible for an akumanzation?"

When she put his beliefs on the spot it did seem he was being a prick. Adrien bit his lip and thought about the situation. He still wasn't ready to let go that he was right. "Kagami said that Lila was having problems in class."

"Did you ask Kagami what she meant by that or did you just assume people were causing problems for her? Or did you not ask on purpose because doing so might have caused you to rethink your actions?" Gigi admonished him.

The boy ducked his head in shame as Gigi pointed out his lack of awareness and his passive beliefs had made him blame the victims for the actions of the perpetrator, which was very wrong. He also did not have the right to force his views on anyone and demand they follow his lead.

"You have two choices, Adrien. You can continue to be passive and let others get hurt or you can apologize for your actions and grow from this. The choice is yours." Finished with her little speech she joined Plagg as they snuggled down in his laundry to sleep.

* * *

The following day Adrien asked his bodyguard to drive him over the bakery early. They stopped at a florist first so Adrien could pick up a bouquet. Upon reaching the bakery, he hesitated before going inside. He saw Sabine and Tom behind the counter.

He winced when both of them looked at him angrily. No doubt they knew about his behavior yesterday. "Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, I'm sorry about my behavior and words yesterday."

The adults kept staring at him waiting for him to continue. He squirmed in place before continuing. "I'm not very good at this. I am not used to the idea of standing up for what I want. Most of my life, I've been really passive and just letting things continue as it is." He took a deep breath and finished talking by admitting someone gave him a stern lecture about him being too passive and he needed to be more aware of his actions.

"If you let me, I like to apologize to Marinette. I even got a bouquet of purple hyacinth for her. They mean…"

"I'm sorry for hurting you. Please forgive me," a faint female whisper came from the door to the residential area. Keeping his head down, he turned towards his girlfriend. He didn't see her skeptical eyes, but he could feel her hurt and anger aimed at him.

"You really hurt me, Adrien, yesterday. You crossed a line and you didn't even notice it. That hurt the most. It was as if I didn't matter at all to you. That you were judging me because of my feelings about a situation. You found it okay to be awful because I didn't agree with you."

She paused for a moment studying him. His body language was subdued yet also apologetic. He wasn't talking back to her. He just listened to what she had to say. Adrien seemed aware he was wrong before.

She took the bouquet from him and smelled it. "I am not ready to forgive you completely Adrien. I am willing to give you a chance to make up for what you've done."

He inclined his head and softly thanked her for giving him a chance. Marinette took the bouquet upstairs to put them in a vase. When she came down she had her backpack on. She kissed her parents' goodbye and headed out the door.

Adrien waited a few minutes then followed after her. It would take time before his girlfriend trusted him enough to accept his apology. He was willing to work for it.

Inside his bag, Gigi hugged herself for doing a good job. It appeared the Humanities Circle was needed now to help with a certain crisis. Helping Miraculous wielders learn to overcome their fatal flaws.


	2. Anxious

In Master Fu's shop, he had finished with clients for the day and was enjoying his dinner with the Kwamiis. Socco and Gigi had been returned yesterday evening and had informed the Great Guardian about their experiences with the teenagers.

He had been deeply troubled when he found out about Adrien's behavior but was very proud of Gigi for stepping in and correcting it. He had noticed before Adrien generally didn't engage in conflict unless it meant fighting an Akuma. Inaction was just as harmful as actually being cruel to another.

The Miraculous Book was on the computer desk. So far he had been able to restore the knowledge about the Humanities Circle as a whole. There reason for being, how they were all connected, and what kind of person should wield their power.

On the table, Honorra was sharing her rice with Ellery who offered her some spinach. They both took bites of the other's food and chewed thoughtfully. Swallowing, the two talked amongst themselves what they thought of each other's food.

Stuffo, Bukku, and Huhu had combined their foods; bread, zucchini, and apples, to make tiny sandwiches for each other. Wayzz's eyed them and quivered as he imagined the horrible taste of the combined ingredients.

Socco and Gigi were regaling Cammie with their time out in the modern world and what they had learned about the human race.

"It's quite shocking to me that in a time where everyone can connect with others that people would choose to be bigots, racist, and zealous, about harming other people for no good reason," Gigi informed her "sister" who was sucking the juice out of her orange as she listened.

Socco nodded his head and put down his peach, his scales shimmered as he spoke. "I am stunned by the amount of energy wasted by humans, determined to not acknowledge their behavior, but also on their fellow man. With such a tiny DNA difference between each human, it makes no sense why so many people hate others."

Cammie blinked her eyes a few times before leaning back on her hump to think over what she was being told. It seemed time hadn't help humanity grow as people. Instead, the time had made it worse and there seemed to be no end to the cruelty of people.

"It is sad to hear such bad news. We must be patient though. After all, helping bring out the best in people is part of our job. I do believe we will find wielders when the time is right. Perhaps right now, we should focus on helping the humans we encounter."

She tilted her head towards Honorra. "Honorra found a wielder to use her powers. I admit she was reckless risking her health in such a manner, however, the situation did call for assistance. Hopefully, she'll be more careful in the future."

Honorra heard Cammie say her name. She turned towards her "sister", but she was already back to listening about Socco and Gigi's time outside. She shrugged her tiny shoulders. "So Ellery, what do you think about Master Fu?"

Ellery's nose twitched as she gazed at the Great Guardian as he drank tea with his kwami. "He is a good Guardian. He genuinely cares about what we like and need. He would defend us with his life if he had too. I hope the same can be said about his elusive Apprentice. Why is she not here training?"

"Ning is a very busy young woman, but she is also extremely smart and talented. Her ability to train and learn about her duties from a distance is remarkable." Honorra munched on her rice ball before adding that she hoped her "siblings" would still be awake to get know Ning properly.

In the all boys group, there was some discussion about who should be the next one to go outside with Marinette and Adrien. Bukku was making his case. "Compassion is very important in this day and age. From what Gigi told us, most of the teenagers need a reminder of what that means. I'm also getting tired of this place."

Huhu snorted at the deer kwami. "I disagree "brother." Compassion is important, but right now they need to be altruistic to make up for their misdeeds. It is never good to leave people hurting."

"Agreed, but we also need to consider the teenagers and what they can show us. I sensed inner turmoil in Marinette's mind. Her bond with Adrien has been weakened because of his behavior. It has brought up painful memories. I feel it is my duty to help her," Stuffo explained to his "brothers" who nodded in agreement.

"It is good to see everyone getting along so well," Master Fu remarked kindly. The Humanities Circle looked at the old man respectfully. He had been nothing but kind to them.

Fu took a sip of his tea enjoying it greatly. "The work on the Miraculous Book needs to continue. Honorra, I will need your assistance of the next few days to keep the apartment clean and organized. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Honorra chirped she would be delighted to help out. She urged her siblings to follow her to back so they could start getting the back porch area cleaned up.

Wayzz watched them go before speaking to his wielder. "I'm glad the Humanities Circle is easy to get along with. They don't even need reminders to stay quiet and hidden." The turtle kwami smiled happily.

Master Fu patted the small kwami on the head. "I'm glad you are making friends. Enjoy it while it lasts my friend."

* * *

That night Peace Keeper whose alias was Ulyana Bereza arrived in Kyiv the capital of Ukraine. A limo picked her up from Boryspil Airport and drove her to the government quarter of the city. Arriving at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she was escorted inside to meet with Minister Pavlo Klimkin.

"Greetings Ms. Bereza. I'm pleased to meet you," Klimkin told her as they shook hands. "I hope your flight to here wasn't too bumpy."

"Not at all Minister. I'm glad to be here to help in any capacity to assist in uniting the conflict zone parties in supporting a united Ukraine." The alias Ulyana Bereza was a skilled public speaker as well as a talented negotiator recommended by the Ukraine members in the UN.

"If you can find a way to persuade the pro-Russia parties in the conflict zone to change their minds, it will be a huge step in solving internal conflicts within the country. Do you think you can unite all the different groups?"

Ulyana raised her shoulders slightly. "I believe I can persuade a majority of the group to reconsider their politics. I'm not naive enough to believe I can change everyone's minds, but I will do my best to help."

It took two days to reach the conflict region of Donbass. Accompanying Ms. Bereza were four soldiers who were heavily armed to protect her from the DPR soldiers during her time in the conflict zone. It was hoped they wouldn't be needed, however so far all ceasefire attempts had failed.

Arriving in Donetsk, the young woman could feel the stares and overwhelming hatred aimed at her. The separatists DPR party had declared the entire region as their country, though it wasn't recognized by the world at large.

She entered the government building where she was escorted to the office of the DPR president, Denis Pushilin. The man radiated power and he looked at her in contempt. It was clear he didn't want her here and felt that it was a waste of time.

Ulyana Bereza refused to back down. She would not be intimidated by this man. She had taken in every aspect of the office and building as she had been walking here. She was wearing her mission outfit underneath her clothing to protect herself. The Kwami Charm necklace was sparkling just waiting to be used.

She calmly stood there waiting for an invitation to sit. President Pushilin didn't offer one. Taking the lead, she sat down calmly and waited for him to speak.

His eyes narrowed and frowned. "Ms. Bereza, your presences here is unwelcome. We have stated several times that we believe Ukraine and Russia should unite as one country and that our country should be recognized by the international community. My people and I are not interested in reuniting with the oppressors no matter how popular the idea may be."

Ms. Bereza kept her eyes locked on his. Her posture straight with her hands firmly holding the arms of the seat. "President Pushilin, I respect you as a leader looking out for his people. While I may not understand what it means to be the guiding force in a proto-state, I am willing to listen and learn.

My purpose here is to listen to your words and then have you hear mine. My goal is to find a way to stop this conflict in order to save lives. With how delicate the situation is, another armed conflict would not end well for your country or Ukraine if true peace can't be reached."

The president stroked his beard as he thought over her words. Ms. Bereza was clearly passionate about her job. His little acts of disrespect had not discouraged her from trying to reason with him. "The government heads will listen to what you have to say tomorrow. I suggest you use the rest of today to work on your speech. Hopefully, it's impressive."

* * *

The next afternoon Marinette was in her room designing her first pair of shoes. Having done several different accessories, she wanted to tackle something new to expand her design portfolio. Adrien had given her a contact number with a company that could supply her with the items she needed to make the shoes.

Marinette's shoe design was casual. It was a simple tennis shoe design with a cushioned heel, with a very flat tongue with one less set of eyelets to pull the shoestring through. The design also showed flecks of green fish scales around the mostly red shoe.

"I think Socco would be pleased to be the inspiration for your first pair of shoes you're going to make," Tikki told her kindly. The little kwami looked at her wielder who smiled back at her.

"Thanks, making shoes by hand is fun but also challenging. Do you think I should go with green or red laces?" Marinette asked the kwami. The kwami of creation pointed to the green colored pencil as the teenager finished her sketch.

Satisfied with the overall design, Marinette worked on creating the pattern she would need to use to sew everything together. She used an old pair of shoes she used to wear to help her with the pattern.

By the time she was finished with the pattern, it was well into the evening. She had missed dinner, but her parents left a plate for her, knowing that when she was in the design zone their daughter became oblivious to the world.

Bringing dinner upstairs Marinette sat on the chaise and looked out the window. "Do you think Adrien will be here soon? He promised he could pick up my supplies tonight and drop them off."

"I'm sure he will be here soon. Just be patient."

Half an hour passed and still no sign of Adrien. Feeling a little trapped inside she went out to her balcony to get some fresh air. The night was cool and she could see the moon in the sky.

She gazed over the city taking it all in. Her eyes lingered on Notre Dame. The fire had done so much damage and it was heartbreaking to remember she couldn't do a thing to fix it. As Tikki had explained, magic had limits.

So engrossed with the sight of Notre Dame, she didn't hear the person landing behind her. When she felt a tap on her shoulder she shrieked loudly and tried to turn around.

Her foot got stuck between the bars and she pitched forward. She started to go over the railing when a strong pair of arms grabbed her from behind a pulled her away from the railing.

Marinette heart was racing double time. Before she could thank him, she was flung into her bedroom and landed hard on her bed. Through her blurry vision, she saw her papa fighting Chat Noir and yelling at him, something about her and being thrown over the railing.

Her papa grabbed one of her flower pots to hit the hero over the head with when the purple mask appeared around his face. Alarmed Marinette tried to get up to her papa only for the dark purple smoke traveled throughout the home.

Giant plant stems twisted around and rose higher and higher into the night sky. Vines started crisscrossing around her room until she was caged up. The bed she had been on vanished as she fell into a clump of flower petals.

"What is going on Tikki? Tikki? Where are you?" the teenager screamed anxiously. Her kwami was not with her and she did not see a tiny speck of red in all this green.

Taking in her surroundings Marinette tried to find a way out. She didn't know what was going on outside between akumatized papa and her boyfriend, but it probably not good.

A few feet down Chat Noir was on the defense as Weredad came after him. He brought up his expanded weapon to block the incoming massive fist from his opponent.

"Don't do this Mr. Dupain! Marinette is in danger because of Hawkmoth!"

"Lies!" Weredad bellowed as he slammed his fists on the vine they were standing on. The giant stalk trembled violently throwing the superhero off his feet.

Weredad jumped into the air and came slamming down on Chat Noir. The hero was gasping for air, his body would have been crushed completely if he wasn't wearing his magical suit.

Chat Noir was then kicked hard flying through the air and hitting the stem, barely missing a thorn. Even though he was in great pain, he pushed himself up as he once again brought his weapon. "I don't care how much you beat me up, but I will protect Marinette from your wraith."

"MY WRAITH? You're the one who tried to heave my daughter over the railing after you attacked her!"

"Where in the world did you get that notion?" Chat Noir asked while rolling his eyes. He knew fathers were protective of their daughters, but to simply assume the worst in him, when the Dupain-Chengs were one of the heroes most staunched fans, was too much.

Weredad didn't reply with words. Instead, he kept attacking Chat Noir, who again went on the defensive, unable to bring himself to hurt Mr. Dupain. If he could just get an opening to knock him out, then he could go help Marinette out of the trap so she could transform and end this.

They continued to fight for several more minutes when to their disbelief the giant flower stalk vanished and they were both falling towards the ground at high speeds.

Swimming through the air, he latched onto Mr. Dupain keeping a tight hold on him "Hold on sir. Ladybug should be here any second!"

Indeed Ladybug appeared just then. "Chat Noir be ready to Cataclysm something because I have a feeling we'll need it! Lucky Charm!"

A giant sailboat appeared in the air and started to fall beside them. Chat shoved Ladybug's father over to her and Cataclysm most of the boat leaving just the mast and sail. They used it to glide to the street safely.

After Ladybug caught the akuma and released her Miraculous Cure, she looked at her papa waiting for an explanation about why he got akumatized.

Mr. Dupain rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions Chat Noir. When I heard my Marinette shrieking I assumed someone was hurting her."

"It's alright sir. You thought your daughter was in danger. From your point of view, you couldn't see that I had pulled her to safety after she nearly fell over."

"I'm still sorry. I have to go apologize to my daughter right now. Keep up the good work."

* * *

The next day at school Marinette prepared herself for another day of frosty looks and whispers behind her back. The brusque manner towards her if someone spoke to her at all.

Almost all her classmates were upset with her because she forced Lila out of the class. It didn't matter that Lila had lied or that she was supporting their friend Nathanial. Her noble actions were seen as cruel and antagonizing.

I just don't understand why they're acting this way. If Chloe had pulled the same trick and I intervened everyone would be cheering me. Because it was Lila they're mad at me? They know she lied to get into Ms. Bustier's class, but I'm the bully Marinette thought as she entered her classroom and sat in her seat.

Adrien came in a minute later and sat down in his seat instead of going up to Marinette and giving her a hug. There was still some tension between the two of them. While she had asked him to pick up the supplies for her shoemaking yesterday, there still was a long way to go before he was forgiven for his careless words. At least he was trying.

The only person who was normal to her was Nathaniel. He had told her what Lila had said to him and as much as he wanted to report it, he knew now that unless he had someone backing up his claim, Mr. Damocles and the other teachers wouldn't believe him.

Throughout the morning Marinette ignored the cold shoulder from Alya, who still hadn't apologized for her actions. Alya believed her anger was justified and that Marinette had betrayed her when it had been the opposite.

"Students, as you have noticed in past literature, many authors use what is called a Janus-Face technique in order to disguise the real antagonist. This technique is useful in creating a surprise for the protagonists or to help move the story along in an unexpected manner for the readers.

A good writer must have the ability to give the readers a few tiny clues to the real intentions of the Janus-Face character. These clues must seamlessly fit into the main plot without revealing the dubious nature until the author is ready to reveal them.

There are typecasts which many authors use as a base for Janus-Face characters. For example; careers where people feel they must be one person with their colleagues and another person with their family.

Occupations include spies, intelligent officers, and rebel leaders. For your homework, I would like for each of you to write a short story with one Janus-Face character. Five to ten pages please and it will be due a week from today."

"I know what my short story will be about," Alya muttered under her breath. The lunch bell rang and the students gather their things.

"Alya, can we talk please?" Marinette pleaded with her friend.

Alya glared at her. "What do we have to talk about? You were a jerk to Lila."

"Alya, Lila hasn't moved or been expelled from the school. You can still hang out with her if you want just like before. Nothing has changed."

Alya eyed her critically. "How can you say nothing has changed? You went out of your way to get Lila out of the class, all because I let her sit next to me!"

Marinette opened her mouth to retort only for someone else to speak. "I never thought you could be so petty on behalf of a troublemaker."

The girls abruptly looked down near the door. Nathaniel was standing there looking at Alya with disapproval. Alya flinched under his gaze, but snapped back, "I'm not being petty."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Yes, you are. You're upset about a person whose own actions caused a problem, then blaming the person who came up with a solution to resolve it.

Have you forgotten that Lila lied about being transferred into our class or that I was chosen to replace her without my parents' permission?"

Alya bulked at his words and replied. "That was a misunderstanding between Lila and her parents. There was a mix-up with the phone numbers so they called the wrong people about the change."

"Really Alya? You have to know how ludicrous you're sounding. Think it over and then apologize to Marinette." He left the room leaving the girls alone.

Alya crossed her arms and huffed angrily. She glared at Marinette then stormed out of the room.

Upset, Marinette left the campus and headed away from the school and her home. She kept walking trying to put as much distance between her and the school as possible.

"Why is this happening Tikki? The way Alya's is acting towards me is making me so angry. She's not acting like the girl I know, maybe I never knew who she was."

Tikki popped her head out of the purse and gazed at her with concern. "Marinette…"

"When did doing the right thing become wrong? How could I ignore the situation Nathaniel was in? I know he's happy and I'm glad everything worked out for him, but what about me?

Ms. Bustier hasn't praised me in days and she's the nicest teacher at the school! I feel bad about the way I confronted her and I didn't mean to make it sound like she's incompetent. Why won't she forgive me?

Then there's Adrien. I could really use his support, but I'm not ready to forgive him yet for his hurtful words. Am I being petty here, should I just forget what happened? Tikki what I'm supposed to do?"

"I thought it was only Adrien who talked to himself. I guess you picked up on that unusual habit," said a familiar voice. Stiffening up, Marinette turned around and saw Kagami standing there judging her.

Marinette let out a garble of unintelligent words and blushed furiously. "Ho…how…long have you been...standing there?" Had Kagami seen Tikki?

"Just long enough to hear you questioning yourself about your actions towards your teacher and Adrien," Kagami remarked eyeing the girl. With a tilt of her head she commented, "From what I've seen and been told about you, I didn't realize you were such an anxious person."

Marinette didn't say anything. She was already aware of how bad her anxiety was and how she didn't know if she could ever get it under control. It seemed Kagami picked up on that and invited her to go to her home for lunch to talk about it.

Marinette thanked her for the invitation and joined Kagami as they walked to the Japanese girl's home. It would be nice to talk with a girl friend who would help her sort out her emotions.

* * *

When the heroes came over to Fu's the next day to pick up a new kwami, Stuffo could feel Marinette's anxious thoughts throughout the room. He immediately chose her, leaving Cammie to go to Adrien.

The panda like kwami nestled his head against the girl's cheeks. "Your thoughts are not peaceful at all. Unneeded stress can cause health issues. What is troubling you?"

Marinette mumbled something along the lines she didn't want to talk about it right now. Her eyes shifted over to Adrien who was talking with Cammie and tried not to cry. Without a word she left Fu's place and headed home.

Upon arriving at the bakery, Stuffo only got to smell the fresh bread before the girl ran up the steps, entered her home and then went into her room. She flung her purse on the chaise and started crying.

Phasing out of the purse Stuffo asked Tikki if she had any idea what was the problem was.

Tikki explained the situation at school and the strain in her relationship with Adrien because of his careless words. She also added that Marinette was struggling with her memories of when she was an Akuma wondering if that was another reason her friends didn't want to talk to her.

This will not do at all. Marinette needs to be tougher if she's going to get through this painful period. Resolute, he went over to her and clapped his hand/paws to get her attention.

"What is happening to you isn't fair. It is never easy when you are the target of someone's anger. Still, you need to toughen up a little if you wish to achieve a peaceful mind and not let your fatal flaw take control."

Marinette started at Stuffo. His words were almost identical to what Kagami had told her yesterday at lunch. Wiping her tears away she sniffled a little as she replied. "I don't know what that means. How does being tough on myself make me peaceful?"

Stuffo looked around trying to find something, he noticed Marinette work in progress shoes. Zooming over to the desk, he picked one shoe up and brought it over to her.

"This shoe your making, it needs a strong base to build the layers of the sole on correct?" Marinette nodded so he continued.

"Think of this shoe as your inner strength. Right now it's wobbly and starting to fall apart. What you need is to renew your foundation by taking the steps needed to avoid succumbing to the anxiety."

He tapped the shoe and pointed at the girl's head. "You have to identify what is causing your anxiety and then label it. Once you have a name for it accept the fact that your anxiety is a part of you. You shouldn't feel bad at yourself for feeling things or looking out for yourself.

Set small goals and find new ways to avoid what makes you anxious. If your anxiety is with someone think outside the box, what can you do to show this person why you're anxious and get them to see through your perspective."

Marinette turned the shoe over in her hand. I need a strong base to keep me centered If I don't toughen my heart a little bit I'm always going to be responding to someone else.

"So if I learn to not react to some stressors, my anxiety will go down?"

Tikki clapped her hands/paws in delight. "Stuffo's right Marinette. If you strengthen your inner will then you can think clearly and respond in an appropriate manner

Putting the shoe down, she held out her right hand for Stuffo to land on. She scratched his belly making the kwami laugh. "Can you help me toughen up a little Stuffo?"

"It will be my honor," he said with a bow.

* * *

Over in the Agreste mansion, Gabriel was visiting in his wife. He had a bouquet of her favorite flowers, daffodils, and placed them in the vase he purchased recently near her container.

"Emilie, I wish I had good news for you. I'm still trying to get the Miraculous, but my last few attempts haven't produced results. In fact, I keep putting myself in danger by working with one teenage girl."

In his mind, the memory of Chameleon impersonating his son after trying to harm him, made the fashion designer shudder. Every time he worked with Lila something went wrong.

Her first time as Volpena she hunted him down. The second time she had done her job only to nearly jeopardize his chances of claiming the Miraculouses by trying to take Ladybug down before he could.

Emilie had told him often enough that his habit of trying to control everything would just end up hurting him. Nooroo had echoed that sentiment when his son was accidentally cursed.

"I don't know how to give up control Emilie. My attempts at controlling this particular person never work. No matter what I do this _child_ manages to manipulate me. It's infuriating!"

He could almost hear Emile laughing and telling him that no one has control over a teenager. The conversation which followed would be him informing her he controlled Adrien's teenage life. She would point out he only controlled his schedule not his emotions and thoughts. Then she would probably point out that he couldn't control Adrien's relationships with his friends.

He traced his wife's face on her container looking at her longingly. "I'm going to find a way to awaken you. Hopefully, my translator will be able to fully decode the book and I can learn more of its secrets. If the appearance of the bird girl is an indication there are more Miraculouses out there then I imagined. There may be one that can help me in my quest to get you back."

He stayed a few more minutes before leaving. He was more determined than ever to bring his wife back.


	3. Mellow

**I hope you all enjoy learning about the other Miraculous wielder's fatal flaws.**

* * *

Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Carapace were running through the snowy streets of Paris, dodging an army of toys who were chasing them, so they could tell their owner, Chrismaster, where Santa was.

"You won't get away, we can smell you from a mile away!" a toy dog barked at the trio.

"Alright men, unleash the dinosaur!" a toy soldier shouted.

"Releasing the dinosaur!" another soldier shouted as a toy T-rex burst out of a trailer and started to run down its prey and bring them back to Chrismaster for questioning.

"My Lady, we're going to end up extinct if we don't come up with a plan to split up these toys," Chat Noir joked. He extended his baton, grabbed a hold of Carapace and pole voted at least ten blocks ahead.

Ladybug did the same trick with her yo-yo and resumed running after she landed. "I know! We need to distract them somehow!" she looked at the stores as she ran by. She came to a screeching halt in front of one of them. "Come on, inside I have a plan!"

A few minutes later the T-rex reached the block the heroes had last been. It sniffed the air and roared, alerting the ground troops to his position. "They're somewhere on this block. Their scent doesn't go any further."

"T-rex is correct. We need to turn this block all over to locate the heroes," the dog added.

"Men search the area! We have rogues to apprehend!" The toy soldiers started busting open doors and destroying everything in the shops in their search. One of the men keeping lookout saw a big man in a red coat with a hat on his head saw a big man in red with a hat on his head tiptoeing down the road.

"Santa Clause halt! By the orders of Chrismaster, you are to come with us at once."

Instead of surrendering, the man made a run for a nearby subway entrance and took off down the stairs. The soldiers went after him as the dog and T-rex hurried to the closest subway entrance to cut off his escape.

Five minutes later, the door to the store the heroes ducked into, a costume shop opened and out walked Ladybug and Carapace. "Good they took the bait. I hope Chat Noir can keep ahead of them with all that padding underneath the coat."

"I'm sure the dude can. They're only toys after all," Carapace remarked nonchalantly.

Ladybug's eyes narrowed at the turtle hero clearly not happy with his words. "Carapace, I gave you the Turtle Miraculous because the akumatized person is your little brother. I need to know what caused his akumanzation and what his goal is. Do you know either?"

Carapace shrank into himself. "I think I do. Yesterday, I was supposed to pick up a surprise gift for my little brother. Chris behavior is…. Well, he's very capricious and it's hard to get along with him. He's also a bit rebellious and doesn't have the best manners. Not to mention he's too curious for his own good."

Ladybug rolled her right hand indicating she wanted Carapace to pick up the pace and get to the point. "Well, my brother's behavior has been a lot better lately so my mom asked me to go pick up a present for him as a reward for his good behavior."

"You forgot to pick up the present didn't you?"

Carapace nodded. He explained his mom bought the toy and put it on reserve until Chris earned it. The reservation period had ended yesterday and since Nino didn't pick it up on time, the toy got sold.

His little brother had been very upset about this. The toy was something he really wanted and when he was told he wasn't getting his surprise gift he had thrown a tantrum. "I told him to chill and I would buy the toy for him for Christmas."

"Which explains all this," Ladybug replied as she expanded her arms wide to encompass the city. Holding her head in her hand she muttered something under her breath.

"We need to find your brother and fix this mess. We need to figure where Chrismaster is hiding and what his akumatized object is. He might be hiding in one of his favorite places. Can you show them to me?" Carapace nodded and the two of them headed off to the first spot he might be hiding.

While his partners were searching for Chrismaster, Chat Noir dove into a service entrance on a subway platform. He slammed the door closed and locked the door. Seconds later the toy soldiers were shouting for him to open up and surrender.

"Not today soldier boy," the hero whispered to himself. He tossed the hat on the top stair then made his way down the steps into the bowels of the subway. There was a lot of machines down here to power the rolling stocks, (the proper name for a subway train), and huge ventilation shafts to get enough air to make it breathable.

"Where to go where to go?" Chat Noir fretted to himself. His sensitive cat ears heard the door starting to give way. Running over to ventilation shaft he called on his power. "Cataclysm!"

The fan turned to ash. Dropping the coat and then later the padding he hurried as fast as he could to get out of the vents and back to street level. "My Lady, I'm about to detransform, you and Carapace will have to stop this one by yourselves."

"Don't worry Chaton we're already on it!" Ladybug replied. She jumped up and over a tower of Legos and flung her yo-yo at Chrismaster, trying to grab his snow globe, the akumatized object, but missed.

Chrismaster had converted Parc Astérix into a giant LEGOLAND filled with multiple copies of the Robotic Destructor toy he had wanted thanks to his snow globe that brought the toys to life.

The Akuma, who was dressed in a black and red jester-like Santa Claus hat and jester boots. His auburn hair was now black and his bronzed skin tone was pure white. "Get them Robotic Destructor! Punish them for trying to keep me from my toys!"

The Robotic Destructors all lined up, their wrists lasers charged up. They fired at the two a heavy barrage. The heroes retreated narrowly avoiding being hit in the backside.

The toys pursued them as the Legos started building themselves up to form towering gates. They were trapped inside. "Shell Guard!" Carapace yelled forming the turtle shape force field around him and Ladybug. His miraculous started the countdown. "Now would be a good time for a lucky charm."

"Lucky Charm!" The ladybugs swirled together and a spotted card and envelope landed in her hands. It was an apology card and the envelope had the words NINO TO CHRIS on it. Her vision flashed as she saw Carapace, Chrismaster, and the snow globe light up.

"Carapace, drop the Shell Guard."

"Have you lost your mind LB? If we do that then the toys will get us for sure!"

"Trust me. I know what we need to do."

So Carapace dropped the force field and let the toys surrounded them. Chrismaster skipped over the Legos and weaved around the towers until he was standing in front of the two heroes.

"Pick me up Robot Destructor!" One of the toy robots picked up the boy and placed him on its shoulder. "I beat you! I beat the great Ladybug. Now give me your Miraculouses so I can keep all my new toys!"

Ladybug pressed against Carapace to hide the fact she was giving him the card. "Before you take our Miraculouses, Carapace has something for you. It's from your brother."

"NINO's not my brother anymore! I don't need him," Chrismaster wailed, tears starting to form in his eyes. "You're trying to trick me!"

"Whoa little dude, your brother is crazy worried about you. That's why he asked me to bring you this card." Carapace held out the envelope.

The Robot Destructor took the item and gave it to the boy. Chrismaster read the card and the tears started to go away. "Is he being sincere? He's really sorry he forgot to get my surprise present?"

Carapace nodded adding his brother would like to make it up to him by spending a whole day doing whatever Chris wanted to do. "All you have to do is give the snow globe to Ladybug and everything will be okay."

Ignoring Hawkmoth's protest, he handed the snow globe to Carapace, who tossed it to Ladybug. She broke the object and cleansed the akuma in record time as she restored Paris to normal. Another typical day in Paris.

* * *

At school the next day, Adrien decided to ask Nino how his little brother was doing. "So Nino, is Chris doing okay? It's one thing when a teenager or an adult gets akumatized, but another when it's a little kid."

"Yeah I know bro," Nino replied. He fiddled with his cap brim before speaking up. "I promised him I would spend all of Saturday with him for disremembering his present. I'm glad that he doesn't have any memory of being an Akuma. The little dude needs to just go with the flow and move on."

Adrien's eyebrows furled a bit. When Nino had been turned into an Akuma, Adrien had comforted him and helped him come to terms with it. So why wasn't Nino doing the same thing for his brother?

"Nino are you sure Chris is okay?"

"My little bro is going to be fine Adrien. He's learning to mellow out. It's a family trait. We just relax and go with whatever's happening. We're kinda like Timon and Pumba."

The warning bell rang and the two best buddies headed into class. As they took their seats, the blond wondered if there was chance Nino perhaps was to mellow.

During class, whenever Ms. Bustier back was turned, Adrien would quickly look behind him to see how Marinette was doing. He was still wasn't allowed to kiss her or hold her hand, but she was speaking to him again and they had talked on the phone a few times.

He was slowly earning her forgiveness. He admitted to himself he wished she would just hurry up and forgive him. At the same time, he realized it wasn't his place to decide if he was forgiven or not.

When it was lunch time, Marinette went home to eat with her family. Adrien stayed with Nino and Alya to have lunch in the cafeteria. Alya and Nino had wanted to sit with Lila, who was at her table surrounded by a mix of Mendievel and Bustier classmates, as she told them about the time she was in Japan and met the then Emperor Akihito and Prince Naruhito, who was now the Emperor.

"It was amazing being in the palace and meeting such important people. I was so glad my relatives invited me to go with them when they went to discuss a business deal between them and the companies that supply the palace staff and the royals themselves."

Sitting at their table Nino and Alya were listening with rapt attention. "I wish I could go to Japan and meet with royalty like that," Alya whispered.

"Totally. Think of how awesome it would be to DJ an official event!"

Adrien sighed and shook his head. "You two know that the role of Emperor of Japan is ceremonial right? They serve as a beacon of hope and prosperity for the people and proceed over traditional ceremonies and celebrations. They don't have any real power."

"That doesn't matter," Alya insisted, her hand reached into her pocket and brought out her phone and started recording Lila as she talked. "Maybe I can ask Lila later to tell me more about it. I need some tips about talking to important dignitaries."

Adrien's eyes widened in disbelief. "Alya, how can you believe anything about that story? It doesn't make any sense and I can assure business deals don't involve heads of states. She's making this up."

Alya rolled her eyes and mouthed the words not you too. "Did Marinette tell you that? She's probably just trying to make Lila look bad. That's what she did before when she was supposed to join our class."

Adrien started to sputter in disbelief. He was about to retort when Nino cut in. "Adrien, you know Marinette's been a little off lately. She still hasn't forgiven you for whatever stupid thing you did and that's not cool."

The boy took a big gulp of his drink and leaned back in his chair a little. Eyeing his friend he added that Marinette was being petty and should just mellow out. People make mistakes, so let bygones be bygones, so everything could go back to normal.

Stunned by Nino's lack of care for Marinette's feelings and Alya's hurtful words, he stood up and started to leave. He looked over his shoulders at his friends frowning at them. "I can't believe you two. Both of you know Marinette and if you think she's being petty then your minds must have been melted. All Marinette has ever done was try to help others and for you to disregard her feelings and actions like that makes me spectacle what kind of friends you are."

* * *

That night, Chat Noir made his way across the rooftops. He was heading for Master Fu's place. He needed to talk to the Guardian about the situation and if he agreed with his idea of how to solve it.

Master Fu was settling down to watch a movie when there was a knock on the window. Getting up from his seat, he was puzzled why Chat Noir would be at his place when it wasn't a night patrol. He opened the window and quickly ushered the hero inside and latching the window closed.

"I am hoping you are not misusing the Miraculous to escape your father's watchful eyes," Fu intoned as he waited for the transformation flash to fade away.

"I promise Master Fu, I'm not. Plagg's the one who likes to perform the escape acts."

Plagg ignored him as he dived into Fu's fridge and squealing happily as he ate some brie. His squealing had woken up the Kwamiis, who had gone to bed early after a long day of watching instructional videos about how to use modern technology.

A bit irritated by their "cousin's" loud arrival, Honorra dove into the fridge after Plagg. A few seconds later they heard two strong slaps before the magpie came out with the cat who was rubbing his cheek.

Plagg stuck out his tongue at the humans who were covering up their smiles. He deliberately sat down on the windowsill to pout.

Adrien rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry about that. I should have sent a text earlier to let you know I was coming over. Normally, I would talk to Marinette or my friends about this."

Fu held up his hand already guessing what he was going to say. "I'm glad that you are respecting Marinette's space. Words can hurt a person far longer than a physical injury. I assume your friends are the reason for your visit?" He gestured to a stool near his living room chair.

Taking a seat, Adrien explained what happened today and how confused he was by his friends' behavior and wondered if he had somehow influenced their behavior because of his passive actions.

Fu tapped his fingertips together as he thought about the problem. "Your actions might have encouraged them to speak more openly. However, their behavior belongs to them alone." He closed his eyes reminiscing about old times.

"I remember when I was very young my friends, some of them would believe and hear only what they wanted and not the truth. It is human nature to want more than they have. It appears Ms. Rossi has mastered the ability to manipulate others through her words, something she no doubt, learned from her criminal family and won't forget."

Adrien nodded figuring this much out by himself. "I know Nino and Alya aren't full time wielders, but they do help us when we need it. I'm afraid of what the team dynamics will become if they don't realize how their actions are hurting people."

Gigi flew over and landed on the boy's head, tickling him with her tail. "You are hoping one of us could talk with the temporary wielders and make them aware of their flaws? It sounds like it is a good idea."

The other members of the Circle agreed. Each of them was eager to help out in any way they could. The tiny beings looked at Master Fu waiting to hear what the Great Guardian thought of the plan.

The old man was reluctant to let anyone other than himself or the duo take care of the Kwamiis for any length of time. At the same time, it was important that every member of the hero's team functioned well with one another.

"I will allow one member of the Humanities Circle to talk with your friends, but only one at a time and they can't stay with the human they chat with. Is that clear?"

Adrien nodded and looked at the Humanities Circle wondering who he should take with him and which one would be suitable to help Nino out first. He described to the Kwamiis Nino's personality and one of them volunteered to help after identifying the boy's fatal flaw.

* * *

The next day after school Nino found himself alone. His mom was still at work and Chris was out on a play date with one of his friends from school. Pleased he would finally get some alone time where he could play his latest tracks as loud as he wanted, the boy hurried into his room eager to get started.

He threw his backpack on the bed and proceeded to find his new music track. Nino didn't even notice a kwami phasing out of his backpack and looking around the room. Nor did he feel the tiny tapping on his shoulder.

Nino listened in delight as his track started to play. He pretended to jam along with the song. "Oh yeah, oh yeah! This is one of my best tracks yet! It needs something extra to make it really pop."

"Maybe something like this? Bleah, bleah! Roo!" a rowdy voice shouted in his ear.

Nino let out a noise of surprise as his chair tipped over and he crashed to the floor. He pushed himself up and found the source of the voice sitting on his computer. It was a kwami that looked like a deer of some kind. The little god looked at him in amusement.

"Whoa, who are you, little dude?" Nino asked as he got up and set the chair back up before taking a seat.

"My name is Bukku, I'm the kwami of Compassion. My "cousin" Wayzz wanted me to meet you. He said you needed my help."

Nino blinked and smiled, "Wayzz is your cousin? That's cool! I didn't know Kwamiis were related to another." He then frowned as the last part of the sentence registered in his brain. "Help? I'm not in trouble so why does Wayzz think I need help?"

Bukku tilted his head and calmly asked, "Why do you think Wayzz would send the kwami of Compassion to you? After all, he's the kwami of Protection. What connects the two?"

Nino thought about it and came up with a response. "He thinks I'm not being compassionate to someone who needs protection? How would he even believe or know that?"

Bukku simply told him Kwamiis were always aware of what was happening in their domain of abstract ideas. The point was he was aware and thought Nino needed a wakeup call on his fatal flaw, being mellow most of the time, wasn't healthy.

The teenager looked confused. There was such a thing of being too mellow? For that matter, what made it a fatal flaw?

"Being mellow can help you get through a few problems certainly. The problem is that you use it too often when you interact with people. Your brother Chris, his akumanzation was because you didn't take his emotions seriously enough.

He was upset and frustrated remember? As Chrismaster he was angry and selfish. You may have promised to spend time with him, but you still didn't give him the compassion he needed after the event because you believed he didn't need it." The tiny kwami lowered his antlers at the teenager to make him understand how serious he was.

Nino had the decency to lower his head in shame. Adrien had tried to tell him the same thing about his little brother, but he didn't really listen. He should have known better, especially after seeing him akumatized.

Bukku floated over towards Nino until he was hovering in front of him. "I think what Wayzz was most disappointed about you was your lack of compassion for your best friend' girlfriend." Nino's head snapped up and he opened his mouth to question the little kwami only to stop as the antlers were pointed at him once more.

Having stopped the DJ from talking back the little deer fondled down his mane and continued to speak. "I felt a lack of compassion for someone who was very hurt by the words aimed at her by someone she loved. Words accusing her of actions she did not cause. How her loved one twisted her compassion towards others and tried to make her feel guilty about it."

The DJ wrapped his arms around himself as it occurred to him how many assumptions he had made lately. He had told Adrien Marinette was the problem. Had he even bothered to find out why Marinette was taking her time to forgive him? The answer was no. As a good friend, he should have talked with Marinette. Because he did not, Nino had shown both his best bud and the everyday Ladybug, their feelings, hadn't mattered because of his attitude.

Satisfied by what he felt Bukku was ready to get back to Adrien. "I have to go now, Mr. Nino. All I ask is that you stop and think about your actions. Figure out who needs your compassion and not who you believe should mellow out." With a kick of his legs, he phased through the wall leaving Nino alone with his thoughts.

The sambar deer kwami stuck to the shadows, keeping an eye out for humans and the occasional bird. He shuddered as he remembered the time with one of his past wielders had been doing chores and a nasty bird had tried to eat him. He didn't want a repeat of that.

He found Adrien's photo shoot which had been nearby. The boy appeared to be modeling a series of different jackets for the photographer. When all the humans' attention was on Adrien, he dove from his hiding spot into the boy's bag where Plagg was waiting for him with a piece of zucchini to eat.

"About time you got here. Do you know how boring it gets watching the do Adrien's makeup for the sixth time for one jacket?" Plagg rolled his eyes.

Bukku chuckled at his "cousin's" antics. "If you say so. I think I got through to your wielder's friend. Hopefully, we'll see a change in behavior soon."

* * *

In the Luhansk People's Republic, another proto state found in the Donbass region, Ulyana Bereza was preparing herself for a meeting with Head of State Leonid Ivanovich Pasechnik in hopes of reuniting with Ukraine. If that was not possible she was at least hopeful to persuade the man to keep honoring the ceasefire.

Her talks in the DPR had not gone as well as she had hoped. Despite her best efforts to explain the benefits of reuniting with the rest of Ukraine, the government was adamant about keeping their independence and keeping Russia as their biggest supporter.

Before she was asked to leave she had received permission to conduct a survey of the citizens in the capital about what their thoughts were about the continuing conflict. She had reviewed the results as her armed escort drove her here.

A vast majority agreed with the DPR about being independent of their former country and that Russia was the solution to everything. However, there had been a small percentage who believe reconciliation with Ukraine was a better option than remaining in a conflict.

"Mr. Pasechnik has already stated before in a press conference about the Minsk Accords his republic would be consistently executing the obligations taken under these agreements. The citizens of LPR experience of becoming independent, can help all regions of Ukraine eventually gain freedom and independence, and then we can together declare a new Ukraine in which representatives of different nationalities and cultures will freely live," she commented out loud as she fixed her dress.

But his words make no sense she thought to herself. If each region declares independence then there would not be a country called Ukraine. I support all cultures and would love to see them all harmonize with one another. I can't support methods which will fracture the country even more than it already is.

Exiting her hotel room, she was driven to the government building for her meeting. Once again she had armed guards around her for her safety. The LPR government was known for power struggles between members.

What was more dangerous was the constant disregard for human rights. There were several cases of targeted killings, torture, and abduction, carried out by Luhansk People's Republic insurgents. The UN also had highlighted threats, attacks, and abductions of journalists and international observers, as well as the beatings and attacks on supporters of Ukrainian unity.

In early March of 2016, United Nations OHCHR report stated that people that lived in separatist controlled areas were suffering from a complete absence of rule of law, with reports of arbitrary detention, torture and in solitary confinement and no access to real redress mechanisms.

Ulyana Bereza would have to be very careful if she wanted to get out of this alive. Her senses were heightened for any danger and she was ready to use her Kwami Charm necklace if need be to ensure her safety. She had a feeling Wayzz's power would be the one she would need.

Upon arriving at the government office her armed escort clutched their weapons tightly ready to use them against the separatists if they attacked her. The same could be said about the guards at the building.

"Please don't antagonize each other. There is a ceasefire for a reason. Let's not add any more bodies to the causality list please," she barked out in Ukrainian and Russian.

Surprised by her remarks, the soldiers all calmed down slightly. Taking a deep breath she centered herself as she was ushered into the Head of State's office where Mr. Pasechnik was talking with Prime Minister Sergey Kozlov. Both men had once served in the Ukraine military and now they were against the country they had trained to serve.

HOS Pasechnik looked her over trying to determine what kind of person she was. He had gathered as much information as he could on Ms. Bereza and it wasn't as much as he would like. "Ms. Bereza, it is good to see you were able to get here without any trouble," he greeted her in Russian.

Playing his game she replied also in Russian. "Yes, your military is very impressive. You have my thanks for having them keep my party and me safe during my travel through your country. Prime Minister Kozlov, I was not made aware you would be here during my meeting with HOS Pasechnik."

"It is my duty to be here in this meeting considering your visit will have an impact on how our People's Council will handle foreign policy. Our former country must have great confidence in your abilities if they send a young _woman_ to negotiate with us."

Ms. Bereza didn't blink. "Gentleman, are you implying that I'm not fit for my position? I assure you I've had plenty of training when it comes to public speaking and assisting different parties into reaching a compromise which benefited their people."

"Ms. Bereza, Prime Minister Kozlov did not mean to imply you were unskilled merely you appear to be slightly inexperienced."

"I understand Mr. Pasechnik. I know my visit is seen as an intrusion or considered a step backward in your country's fledgling government commitment to receive international recognition. It is imperative that your country show the world that you are at least willing to listen and hear what your former country has to say."

The two men started whispering to each other quietly well aware of the fact she could understand both Russian and Ukrainian. No one took notice when the young woman touched her neck or when she whispered Shell Guard. A faint green force field formed around her to protect her if any attempt was made on her life.

At last, the men stopped talking. "You will be allowed to address the People's Council tomorrow. Should the meeting go well, we can negotiate further on the matter. If however, it doesn't go well you'll leave immediately understand."

"Perfectly."

* * *

It was lunchtime once again at school and Marinette was once again without her best friend. Alya had gone home to eat and while her other classmates had stopped giving her the cold shoulder, she still wasn't comfortable dining with them.

Marinette wished either Adrien or Nathaniel were here. Unfortunately, Adrien was having another meal home alone and Nathaniel was using his lunch period to go visit his sick friend Marc.

She spotted Kagami sitting at a table with a few other kids from Mendievel's class. She recognized them as Aurore, Mireille, and Odinne. There was also Jean Durpac and Wayheim. Surprised by the fact Kagami was not eating at home today she went over to their table. "Is it alright if I sit with you and your classmates Kagami?"

"Please join us in this repast Marinette." Marinette took her seat and looked at the rest of the group. She wasn't that familiar with the others. She needed to change that if she ever needed help as Ladybug and needed to use a different Miraculous wielder.

"Hi everyone. Thank you for allowing me to sit with you for lunch."

"Anyone who can see through the dust storm of Lila Rossi is welcomed at this table," Aurore courteously remarked. "You were able to see through her lies when she first got here, but it took Mireille and me until two months ago to figure it out."

Mireille must have seen Marinette's puzzled expression. "Lila told us her family had connections with dozens of different TV networks and she would put in a good word for us to intern at them after school and on the weekends.

We waited for weeks for her to get back to us. After waiting all that time we approached her and she told us the TV networks were not interested in us at all because we were wannabes."

Marinette winced at those words. She was well aware of how Aurore didn't take mean words well. "Let me guess, you called up the networks yourselves and discovered they didn't have any idea what you were talking about?"

They both nodded their heads. The other students at the table had similar stories. Odinne had been told that Treasure Incorporated supplied sports equipment for gyms hopeful Olympians trained in. Odinne had asked for some of the equipment and a contact number for a gym.

Odinne never got the contact number and the equipment she had been given was practically worthless. When she had confronted Lila she had been told Odinne she never had promised to give her the equipment and contact information only that Lila would try to get her what she wanted.

The boys commented they had also talked with Lila about helping them only to end up on the short end of the stick. When any one of the group tried to call out Lila for her actions, they found themselves becoming isolated or people no longer trusted them.

"It is doleful how one girl's silver tongue can cause so much pain and emotional harm. There is now a divide in our class because of her and no matter what Ms. Mendievel tries, Lila somehow manages to avoid getting punished for her actions."

"So that's what you meant when you told Adrien Lila was causing problems in your class. He just presumed you meant others were bullying her."

Kagami nodded and remarked Adrien was a great fencing partner and a smart boy. He just didn't always take everything into consideration when he was told something.

"Hey Marinette, if you ever want to take a break from Lila's lies your welcome to join us anytime. Maybe we can even hang out and do something fun," Jean proposed.

"I would like that very much."

* * *

In the Agreste mansion, Nathalie was in the office working on the budget for the company's tailoring department. Lately, the department had been requesting more funds and Mr. Agreste was not pleased they couldn't do their work with the budget they had.

He had asked Nathalie to cut the tailoring department's budget by five percent. It would be a lesson for the department to better manage what money they did get and he still expected the department to do quality work.

The best way to cut the budget was to reduce the number of tools the department received along with fasteners, embroidery threads, and decorative accessories for the clothing.

No doubt this would make the entire department unhappy and work quality might go down slightly, but in the end, it would work out. If some people ended up losing their jobs, it wasn't her concern.

My job is to worry about taking care of the Agreste family and making sure Gabriel succeeds in his plans. That may sound a bit callous but I am callous when it comes to anything that impedes me on the job.

Standing up from her desk, she walked over to Gabriel's design station and left her budget recommendations. "Don't worry sir, I'll make sure everything in your life runs smoothly. Very soon you'll have your perfect life back."


	4. Indecisive

It was a nice day outside the shop. Honorra sat on the windowsill looking at the blue sky and warm sensation on her feathers. The urge to fly through the sky was intense. She fought to suppress the urge by looking for something else to do.

Floating into the bedroom she phased into the small closet, looking for something interesting to play with. That's when she noticed something tucked away in the back corner of the top shelf. It was a stack of letters tied together with a pink ribbon.

"What is this?" she wondered curiosity drawing her in. The letters smelled very old and she picked up the faint scent of green tea on them. Untying the ribbon she looked at the first letter noting the date was a few months after the end of WWII. They were addressed to someone named Marianne Lenoir.

Who is Marianne Lenoir? I thought that the Great Guardian only love was his fellow recruit Shufen? Honorra started reading the letters. As she read them she slowly came to cognize what they were.

They were love letters. Ones that had never been sent. In them, the Great Guardian spoke of Marianne as being his second chance at love. In a few letters, he recalled their days together, hiding from the Nazis and how he never regretted telling her about his duty as the Great Guardian of the Miraculous.

Later letters talked about their promise to meet at the Seine on a certain day in the year to rekindle what they had. Judging by the number of letters the Guardian had never gone once.

"What are you doing in here?" a voice asked behind.

"SHRIEK!" Honorra squawked. Twisting her head she saw it was Socco eyeing her questionably. "Wayzz sent me to look for you. The Guardian has closed the shop for lunch and wanted to talk about what happens when we combine our Circle's powers with one another."

"Don't alarm me like that "brother"!"

"Apologizes "sister". That was not my intent. It does make me wonder why you are in this closet and going through the Guardian's private correspondences."

Honorra murmured her reasons before grabbing her "brothers" paw/hand and dragging him over to view the letters. "Look at these letters. They're love letters he never sent. According to them, the Guardian is supposed to meet with Ms. Lenoir tomorrow, but he hasn't said anything about it. Why would he not comment on the fact he wasn't going to be here tomorrow?"

"Dozens of reasons come to mind. If you want, we can discuss this with Wayzz later. Right now; we're needed in the kitchen."

The magpie kwami had to wait until after lunch to corner Wayzz, who had been sunning himself in his little sand garden. He opened his eyes in surprise seeing her so close to his little garden. She had avoided it completely since her one time use.

"Can I help you with something?"

Honorra pointed to the closet and explained what she had been up to earlier. Of course, Wayzz was furious at her for going through his wielder's personal belongings. The only reason he did not seek out him at the moment was that Honorra asked if the Guardian had told Wayzz if he was going to meet with the lady tomorrow.

The turtle kwami let out a sigh. "Every year he ponders if he should go. Then it takes all day so she won't be there if he decides to go out to meet her."

"I never knew the Great Guardian was so indecisive about his love life."

Wayzz shrugged his shoulders. "Everything a turtle does is done slowly including telling someone you love them."

"Don't you think we should try to encourage Master Fu to go? I know you don't like to rush people, but this woman might not have long left to live if the dates on those letters are correct."

"Honorra we can't force Master Fu to do anything he doesn't want to do. We could have stayed in Paris and help Ms. Lenoir fight the Nazis, but Fu decided to go to Hong Kong instead to keep them safe."

"Which eventually brought him back here after meeting Ning. Why chose Paris of all places in the world unless he intended to honor his promise? Don't you think he deserves a little happiness with everything going on?"

The two Kwamiis told the others what was going on as the Great Guardian continued working with his customers. The Humanities Circle and Wayzz talked about what they should do. Everyone wanted to thank Fu for his continuing efforts to keep them safe and letting them out of their Miraculouses for a time.

They determined that encouraging Master Fu to go see his friend tomorrow wasn't interfering with his life. They would go over the reasons why he should and leave him to make the final decision.

When Fu entered his residence after finishing with his clients he saw all the Kwamiis perched on his the kitchen table looking at him with whimsy in their eyes. In the middle of the table was a photograph. Peering closely, he realized which photograph it was.

"Where did you find this?" he asked sharply.

"I did in the closet underneath the love letters. I didn't mean to snoop Guardian, I was simply looking for something to play with and stumbled upon them," Honorra admitted to Fu.

Wayzz chimed in before his wielder could lecture her. "Master, she asked me if you would not be here tomorrow because of the date in the letters. When I explained what happens each year, we told the others."

Ellery trumpeted her trunk and spoke up. "We are not here to force you to go. We only wish to encourage you to go. With Honorra's help, we discovered Ms. Lenoir has gone each year to the spot waiting for you. That shows real loyalty."

The others in the Circle pointed out the benefits of going. He had regretted never finding out the fate of his first love. Did he really want the same thing to happen with Ms. Lenoir? Lastly, there was only so much time left to tell her how he felt about her.

Master Fu chuckled and held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, I will go tomorrow. If I know Honorra, you found her email address and figured out a safe way to send a confirmation I'm coming?" Honorra nodded so he continued." I expect each of you to behave while I'm gone."

The Kwamiis cheered happily. Honorra quickly dashed off to start writing the email with a pleased smile. They just knew tomorrow would be a good day for everyone.

* * *

The next day things took a turn for the worse. Master Fu woke up in a serious amount of pain. He had a severe case of constipation, no doubt from the stress from worrying about both Hawkmoth and Ms. Lenoir.

"Ugh, I feel as if I'm dying! I'm going to pass away I just know it," he moaned in his bed.

"Master, I don't think your dying, I would have sensed it," Wayzz told him patiently. When Fu moaned again he looked at the others and gestured for them to move into the hallway.

"He obviously needs a doctor to convince him he's not dying. A prescription for constipation medicine would help out greatly."

"Agreed, but we have another problem. Ms. Lenoir is expecting him to show up in an hour. Even if we asked Marinette to come over to check on him and pick up a prescription, she can't do both while she's a civilian," Cammie stated plainly to the group.

It was true and if she became Ladybug then they risked revealing a person who knew about the Guardian being discovered by Hawkmoth. The other problem was they didn't know Ms. Lenoir's phone number and they had erased all things related to her email address including their memories, thanks to a special potion, to prevent discovery.

"Perhaps one of us could go and explain the situation. We're small enough we can avoid being seen. If she knows about Master Fu's duty, she would know not to stay in the open if we deliver the message," Huhu suggested.

It would be risky if one of them left. There was a reason they stayed hidden and didn't journey out on their own most of the time. The consequences of being captured would be too excessive.

"If no one shows up, Ms. Lenoir would possibly be heartbroken and a prime target for akumanzation. Honorra is the least likely to draw attention to herself. If she's spotted, humans will no doubt think she's a baby bird learning to fly," Gigi pointed out.

Honorra nodded and in a serious tone, she stated. "I started this mess, so I need to fix it." According to the love letters she would be wearing a broach with a Chinese ideogram on it. With the blessing of the other's she took off and the others went to call Marinette.

The little magpie hoped she would get to the meeting place on time. How long would this woman wait after waiting for years for Master Fu to show up? Flapping her arms was tiring work, but she had to if she was going to look like a bird learning to fly.

She arrived at the meeting spot forty five minutes later. It took so long partially because of her need to pretend. The other reasons included staying out of sight and avoiding other birds who had a habit of being attracted to her.

Cautiously, she approached the bench hugging the wall the whole time. Sitting on the bench was a man she recognized as the civilian form of Mr. Pigeon. He was talking to a petite lady with green eyes and her gray hair was held in a bun, who was leaning on a cane.

She was dressed in a yellow shirt with her trench coat covering the rest of her body. Pinned to the collar of the shirt was the broach she was looking for. "If I can get to her coat pocket, then I can alert her to my presences."

She inched closer and closer, keeping one eye on Mr. Raimer and the other on the other side, Ms. Lenoir. Just a little closer and she would be able to slip into the coat pocket.

Ms. Lenoir abruptly stood up, startling Honorra who fell to the ground and rolled under the bench.

"Why would he make a promise if he didn't intend to keep it? If something came up surely he would have called or left a message. It seems I've lost so much time waiting for someone who turns out not to be the person I thought I was."

"Ms. Lenoir, wait!" Honorra cried out only for her voice to be covered up by a large flock of cooing pigeons passing overhead. Ms. Lenoir started walking away and Honorra picked herself off the ground going after her when she saw something that made tremble.

An akuma was flying straight at the old woman, aiming for her broach! "Ms. Lenoir, look out!" Honorra shouted.

This time, the old woman heard Honorra. She was turning around to see who called out to her only for the akuma to take possession of the broach. Within a minute the kind old lady transformed into a supervillain named Backwarder.

She now had pale purple skin with yellow eyes and light lilac-colored lipstick. Her helmet is black and teardrop-shaped, with a yellow circle in the center of each side with a large yellow wind-up key. There was also an upside down teardrop-shaped pale purple face mask with holes for her eyes and mouth, a small nose, two black dots beneath each eye hole, and a golden heart on the forehead, resembling a porcelain doll's face.

The main body of the outfit was yellow and black, with a rounded shape resembling a clockwork doll. In her chest was a stylized clock face with her brooch acting as the dial. On each of her shoulders, there were yellow spherical shoulder pads. The main body of her costume is yellow and black, with a rounded shape resembling a clockwork doll. Her chest has a stylized clock face on the front where her akuma lay with her brooch acting as the dial. Her cane now resembled a clock hand which she held like a sword.

"I am Backwarder and I'm going to get back the time my former sweetheart made me waste." Mr. Raimer was running towards her to help save her. She touched him with her sword and he suddenly started moving backward as time reversed itself.

Honorra quickly zipped up the wall and hid behind a tree, watching Backwarder and listened to all the ways she planned to make Fu pay for her lost time.

Not good, this is my fault! I never should have been snooping in the first place! I have to do something, but what?

Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared saving people from colliding with cars moving backward or falling into the fountains in the park. Each was doing their best to avoid being touched by Backwarder's sword. They had a few close calls already.

Honorra watched for an opportunity to get involved. If she used her power, it would only increase Backwarder's power. Luckily, she had another idea. Levitating in the air she waited until the Akuma was not looking up and that the two heroes had a chance to hide.

Dropping from the air, she landed on wind up key and held on tight. "Marianne, you know better than to let Hawkmoth use you like this."

"Who said that? Where are you?" Backwarder growled. Her eyes darted about in all directions.

"Your sweetheart still loves you, he got sick this morning and I came to tell you that."

Honorra braced herself as the Akuma twisted her head violently, trying to find the source of the voice. "Lies! He tricked me!"

"How can you question the honor of someone who trusted you with such an important secret Marianne? If you just listen to me, the little voice in your head, everything will be fine."

She jumped out the way just in time as the Akuma smacked herself when she tried to swat Honorra away. Just as the kwami hoped, the Akuma started going backward making it easy for Ladybug and Chat Noir to capture the possessed item and cleanse the akuma.

As Miraculous Cure covered the city she spotted Master Fu walking at a brisk pace towards Ms. Lenoir. Knowing she was in a lot of trouble, Honorra made her way to the Great Guardian to face her punishment after he had a chance to talk to his sweetheart.

* * *

All the Kwamiis were subdued when Master Fu returned when he returned home hours later. Honorra looked dejected as she went over and sat down on the Miraculous Chest with the others.

Master Fu gave each of them a stern look. They all bowed their heads in shame knowing this Akuma had been their fault. Seeing the Great Guardian was about to speak, Honorra spoke up first, to help protect her "siblings" from getting into trouble.

"Master Fu, please don't punish my siblings. I'm the one at fault here. I should never have snooped among your personal belongings. Nor should I have told the others what I found and ask them to encourage you to go. My actions led to the akumanzation I take full responsibility for this mess."

Fu's face soften. He was pleased by what he heard. "I'm glad to hear you say that Honorra. Admitting you made a mistake is the first step in change. I am disappointed in you for snooping and risking yourself by leaving the apartment, but you are not to blame for Marianne's akumanzation."

Honorra blinked in confusion. "I'm not?"

Fu shook his head. "Hawkmoth is to blame for the akumanzation, but Marianne's emotional breakdown was because of me. I let her down because I was indecisive."

Taking a seat he looked at each of the Kwamiis one by one giving each of them a half smile. "Your Circle is responsible for encouraging the best traits humanity has to offer. Your actions reflected your purpose and I was ignorant that you were unconsciously showing me my fatal flaw."

Puzzled about what he meant, they talked amongst themselves in hush tones. Occasionally they looked at Master Fu, who was waiting patiently for them to finish speaking to one another.

Finally, they broke apart and Socco approached Master Fu who held out a hand for him to land on. "It appears I need a refresher about why my flaw is fatal and what I should do about it."

Socco smiled as his scales flashed brilliantly as the sun started to set. "You are a good Turtle, Great Guardian. You are wise, observant, and look at the big picture. You plan for everything and figure out who is the best person for each job."

Fu agreed with the assessment of his character. He knew he was the best person to wield the power of protection. While Carapace also wanted to protect people, he still hadn't reached the maturity and the spiritual faith, a true Turtle needed. One of the reasons Ning would become the next Great Guardian and not Nino.

"While you are good Turtle Master Fu, there are times those traits can be harmful. As I stated, you look at the big picture all the time, without considering the small picture. Miraculous wielders need to have a good relationship and trust among them to work effectively.

When Hawkmoth first appeared you were unsure of who should wield the Ladybug and Black Cat because of a past mistake. I know, Guardians are not to get too involved with the wielders, yet you weren't involved at all.

There were many times you could have stepped in and helped with Ladybug's and Chat Noir's partnership discreetly. An example is after the first akuma made copies of Stoneheart.

Ladybug needed reassurance one mistake was not a reason to give up. Instead, you left it up to Chat Noir to reassure her, not knowing if she would use the Miraculous again.

Other times include Copycat and Antibug. Both were caused by careless actions of the heroes and should have been addressed fully, but once again you didn't because of your indecisiveness."

Fu knew what Socco was pointing out was true. He had seen troubles in the partnership and had wanted to help them, only to debate with himself if that was the correct course of action. If Ning had not inadvertently revealed their identities to one another, their partnership could have become strained.

Socco eyed the man, his little eye bulging out a bit more. "If you need to make an important decision you cannot be indecisive. Make a choice and stick with it. As long as you are determined to carry out this choice, then you will have a better chance at achieving attainment. Do you comprehend?"

"I certainly do Socco. Thank you for the refreshing lecture. I will do better next time."

* * *

The next day, Chloe was out shopping at her favorite shoe store. There were so many options to choose from. "I want to try on the gold Choo sandals, the latest shoes in the Tailor Made shoe line by Charlotte Olympia, oh and would love to wear the latest jeweled heels made by Giuseppe Zanotti."

"Right away Ms. Bourgeois," the sales clerk said as she went to track down the shoes for her to try on."

"Make it quick, you don't want to keep the mayor's daughter waiting!" Chloe sighed wondering why it was so hard to find good help these days. She tapped her feet impatiently.

Finally, the sales clerk came back with the shoes. Slipping on the sandals Chloe looked at the full length mirror. "These sandals are amazing! They make my feet look perfect."

She tried on the other two pairs. She gushed about how fabulous they made her look and that they fit her feet perfectly. "I need to try more on. Bring me the latest shoes by all high fashion designers. After all, you can never have too many shoes.

For the next hour, Chloe kept trying on shoes. She gushed over several pairs while belittling the sales people for not being fast enough or bringing the wrong pair of shoes by accident.

Finally, after settling on fifteen new pairs of shoes, she had the sales clerks bring her purchases to the counter. Whipping out her credit card, she slid it through the scanner with ease.

She wasn't prepared for the buzzing sound that came after she swiped it. "What was that annoying noise for?"

"Your credit card has been denied, Ms. Bourgeois."

"Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous! Your scanner must be broken." Chloe swiped the card three more times and the same message came up. Frustrated, she swiped every credit card she had and none of them worked.

Since she didn't carry cash on her, she had no way to pay for purchases and she had no choice, but to put everything back and leave. She had never felt so humiliated in her life.

She jumped into her limo demanding to get home at once. "I'll have Daddy fire those people. They'll pay for cheating me." She speed dialed her father, but the phone just kept ringing. Angry, she called his office demanding to speak with him.

His secretary informed her that her father was in a meeting with the deputy mayor and was not to be disturbed. Chloe threatened the secretary with the loss of her job if she didn't do as she asked.

"Young lady, you have no power to fire me. As for your father, he could dismiss me, but I know for a fact he won't because I'm the only one who can tolerate him and he would be without of a secretary if he did. Good day!" The line went dead.

Astonished by the fact someone talked back to her, Chloe stormed through the door to the hotel and rode the elevator her floor. She huffed as she walked towards her mother's room. She was about to barge in, but a faint instinct told her to pause and listen.

"I did what you asked Andre so don't get upset about it! Canceling her credit cards and informing the stores she no longer has a preferred customer discount anymore was your idea."

What was going on? Her father told her mother to cancel her credit card cards and now she wouldn't even be getting any discounts. She was the mayor's daughter! She deserved it!

There was a short pause then Chloe heard her mom speaking a little louder. "You're the one who decided it would be a good idea to redirect funds from different departments and conspire to use those funds to make two heroes Chloe's personal bodyguards! It was a ridiculous idea, utterly ridiculous idea. The police had every right to arrest you."

Chloe stopped breathing as she felt herself go into shock upon hearing those words. Her father had been arrested for trying to do something for her? She flinched as she heard her mother commenting on how the police were letting him finish out his term before taking him in.

"Stop whining Andre about Mayor Hidalgo scrutinizing your work orders. There is no reason for every limo service in the city prioritize transporting Chloe over other clients. Honestly, Andre, you need a strong powerful woman in your life because you certainly don't have a real backbone. Making you a figurehead was honestly a blessing."

There was a pause in the conversation for a few minutes before Audrey replied. "I know it's partially my fault, I'm trying to do better! I stayed in Paris to be her mother. I've been making strides in not being belligerent to everyone, considering I haven't insulted you once, during this phone call. It's time for Chloe to stop being otiose and actually work for what she wants."

There was another long pause. "I don't want you to go to jail either Andre, but you know if Chloe cleans up her act the judge is more likely to give you a lighter sentence."

The blond teen heard enough. She ran to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. Her mind was racing as her mother's phone conversation replayed in her head over and over. Her father was not the mayor and was going to jail after his term. All because of her.

She slid down the door as she recalled bits and pieces of strange behavior, comments, and actions from her father and the staff after his akumanzation. Her father spending less time at his office in the town hall. The hotel staff whispering about possible layoffs in the future, her own butler trying to get her to act nicer and do her own homework.

Clutching her head, tears started to stream down her face. For the first time in her life, the reality was hitting her hard. Years of ignoring her conscious about her words and actions came tumbling down. Her memories may it impossible to refute the truth.

She was a spoiled, conceited, brat. She bullied others to cover up her own insecurities and anger at her mom's abandonment. That she took advantage of her father to give her things just to make her feel good about herself. Her treatment of Sabrina was wrong. Worst, she had to admit a hard truth.

She didn't love Adrien romantically. He was a dear friend and the closest thing to a brother for her. She didn't hate Marinette, she was jealous of her for having loving parents who supported her and took care of her instead of having someone else do it.

Chloe hugged her knees and kept crying. What had she done to her family?

* * *

In the city of Kyiv, Ulyana Bereza was giving her report to Minister Klimkin. "I apologize for not succeeding in getting the DPR and the LPR to agree with reunification with the rest of the country. I knew it would be a longshot, but I had hoped my negotiating skills would at least persuade them to consider the idea."

Minster Klimkin looked over the report she had handed him. While disappointed she wasn't able to fully persuade the two proto-states to reconsider the idea of reunification, she had succeeded in other aspects.

The report contained current information about the population's feelings towards reunification. Confirming the people currently holding posts in the proto-states government. Bullet points on ideas for further peace talks. Statements about staying committed to the ceasefire.

"What you have given me in this report will greatly assist in future affairs with the DPR and LPR. The rest of the Cabinet will able to use this data for future goals. The Prime Minister and the President will also be pleased with what you have gathered considering how helpful it will be to the Prime Minister and the President.

Most impressive is you were able to travel through the conflict zone and return without any injury or weapons fire. Not one attack on your person. That's a miracle if I ever saw one. "

"Thank you, sir." In reality, she could thank the Kwami Charm necklace for keeping her safe. Any time she suspected there was trouble, she discreetly used the powers of the charms to ensure safety for her party and her.

That night after sending her report to the UN and a few other meetings, Ulyana sat on her bed and looked out at the sky above. The pollution distorted the view of the stars.

Sighing, she laid down on her side and thought about her mission. While she had completed her mission outline objectives by ensuring the ceasefire held and she did talk with the leaders of the proto-states into listening about the benefits or rejoining with Ukraine.

Technically speaking, she hadn't achieved the goal of ensuring a united Ukraine to stand together as they worked on achieving peace with Russia. It was the first time she had "failed" in fully completing her mission.

"Am I losing my touch? Was there something more I could have done? Am I letting my emotions get out of control?" she pondered out loud. She had never felt this lost before.

The Security Council wants me to stick around Kyiv for a few more days to observe the events happening after my mission. Yet, my heart is telling me I need to go to Paris and speak with Master Fu.

She fell asleep with this question in her mind. When she woke up the next morning she knew what her choice was.

* * *

It was an interesting day in Paris, at least for the students of Ms. Bustier's class. When the students arrived, they were surprised to see Chloe already in her seat with her lips pressed and her eyes on the floor.

On each desk was an envelope with each student's name on them. Marinette was the first to open hers. Inside was an apology card. Curious, she opened it and read the message inside.

_I, Chloe Bourgeois, formally apologize to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, for bullying you since grade school. There is no excuse for my hurtful comments, physical attacks, or stealing your hat design. _

_ What I want to apologize profusely for were my attempts to interfere with your relationships with Adrien. I admit he's more like a brother to me and I refused to acknowledge that fact. _

_ I know this one card cannot make up for every horrible action I have committed against you. I will try to earn your forgiveness._

_ P.S. Thank you for helping me with my mom._

Marinette looked up from the card and glanced at Chloe. It was clear Chloe actually wrote the apology herself because of how messy it was. The blond kept her head down as the rest of the class read their apology cards.

"Who does she think she's fooling? Chloe would never apologize for anything in her life. This is another trick," Alya said out loud not directing the question to anybody. Turning towards Chloe, Alya loudly stated she wasn't going to fall for Chloe's trick and promptly ripped the card into small pieces.

"Alya! That wasn't necessary!" Marinette exclaimed in a horrified voice.

"I'm just making a point Marinette. I don't like being tricked by people. If you're smart, you'll toss that card away."

Nino heard what Alya was saying and he frowned. "Not cool babe. Don't stoop to Chloe's level otherwise you're just like her."

In the end, only a few kids; Marinette, Adrien, Sabrina, and surprisingly Rose and Juleka, kept their cards. The blond had a small smile on her face happy that someone believed she was making an effort to change.

When class was dismissed for lunch, Marinette was surprised to see Juleka waiting for at the door. "Can I help you Juleka?"

Juleka fiddled with her hands as she mumbled something. Marinette gave her a puzzled look. Taking a deep breath the shy girl spoke up. "I'm sorry Marinette."

"Juleka?"

"I'm sorry about the way I treated you a few weeks back when Lila was in our class for a day and afterward. Luka reminded me that a true friend doesn't hold a grudge against a person who is following their beliefs."

Marinette's eyes soften. "Thank you for apologizing. I really appreciate it."

Juleka smiled at her. "Do you want to come over to my houseboat after school? I'm sure Luka wouldn't mind you helping him figure out what he should wear for Kitty Section's next concert."

"I would love too. Want to have lunch at the bakery?" Juleka nodded eagerly and the two girls linked arms as they headed to the bakery happy to have made up.


	5. Overconfident

Marinette was unsure how much longer Alya would hold a grudge about her doing what was right. Her best friend's behavior was a roller coaster of ups and downs as if late. Some days she would be like the old Alya eager and wanting to spend time doing best friend activities with her. Other days, she was cold and mean to her.

It was frustrating because Marinette could not predict what mood Alya would be in from day to day. It left her confused and wondering if Alya was really her friend, or she was at best, trying to put her down to achieve her own agenda.

It was interesting to note that after Juleka apologized for her actions others had come forth as well. Rose, Nino, Max, along with Mylene and Ivan had all said they were sorry and they were working to regain her trust.

They did little things to make up for their behavior. Such as asking if she needed help with her homework or helping her carry her bulk load of fabrics. Other times they would give her compliments or share a treat with her. For the first time, most of the class was learning, while Marinette was great at helping others, it was a lot harder to earn her forgiveness when they dismissed her actions.

Which was why Marinette was currently hanging out with Mireille and Ondine, instead of going with Alya to bug Alix into showing her artifacts that weren't on exhibit, to see if any of them contained a connection to Ladybug and the Miraculouses.

Since neither girl had apologized yet, she thought it would be better to spend time with her new friends and learn more about them. After all, one day she may have to gift them with a Miraculous.

Currently, Marinette and Mireille were helping Ondine pick out a new bathing suit for an upcoming swimming meet. Her old one was starting to fray a little. It was also outstretching so it did need to be replaced.

"So do you want a one-piece or a two-piece bathing suit?" Marinette asked as they made their way through the sports store to the bathing suit racks.

"I need a one-piece suit. Two-piece suits are not allowed in swimming competitions. Plus, a one-piece makes me more streamlined so I can swim faster," Ondine explained as she continued to look through the racks.

"Is color important?" Mireille asked softly. The quiet girl was at a different rack looking at colorful one-pieces, instead of the plain black ones on Ondine's rack.

"I would prefer to have a swimsuit with color. I want to be identifiable during the meet and mostly everyone wears black."

Marinette added they should look for suits made up Lycra and polyester blend because it was the best fabric to use when creating a bathing suit.

She was looking at the suits and checking the tag for the material used in the creation when she felt her purse shaking. Wondering if her guest kwami was hungry she excused herself so she could go to the bathroom to talk with her guest.

She opened the purse and out came Tikki and Huhu. "Is there something wrong Huhu? Do you need more apple slices?"

"A fresh apple would be nice to chew on. The main reason I shook inside your purse is I wanted to know if I could hide in your jacket. I don't feel like I'm getting the full experience of the modern world hiding in your purse."

"It would be risky if Marinette's jacket came off. I believe it is best if we stay hidden in the purse. We can always peek out of it."

Huhu told his "cousin" he understood her concerns. However, he still felt it would be easier if he was in her wielder's jacket.

Marinette thought about his suggestion for a minute. She opened her jacket, revealing an inner pocket she had sewn in for Tikki to hide. Huhu could stay in there as long as he was quiet and didn't move.

Delighted, Huhu quickly settled down in the pocket and the trio rejoined the girls. Each of them was holding up a swimsuit. One was fuchsia and the other was plum.

"Marinette, we need you to make the final decision. Should I go with the plum swimsuit or the fuchsia?"

Looking at the two suits she looked for what color matched best with her skin tone and her hair. "I think you should go with the fuchsia one. It goes well with your hair and it looks good with your skin tone."

Ondine took the fuchsia one from Mireille and thanked both girls for helping her choose the best suit. After Ondine paid for the new suit the girls left the store and headed for a nearby café to get something to drink.

Upon arriving at the café, Marinette saw something that hurt her heart. Lila and Alya were sitting together at a table laughing about something on Lila's phone. What was Alya doing here instead of the museum? When had she run into Lila?

Seeing the heartbreaking expression on Marinette's face, both girls looked in the direction she was staring at. What they saw surprised them.

"Isn't that your best friend sitting with Lila?" Ondine questioned Marinette. She was puzzled to see the girl because Marinette had mentioned she was at the museum today.

The girl could only nod. She turned away from the scene and walked out of the café her eyes filled with tears. She power walked five blocks and then sank onto a bench, crying hard.

Huhu poked his head out of her jacket. "You shouldn't be alone right now."

"Please sniff, don't try to, sniff, tell me what to do," she cried. Her whole body shook with sadness and disbelief. Had Alya _lied _to her about where she was going to be today?

Marinette continued to cry for a few more minutes. She was ignorant of Ondine sitting down next to her and Mireille coming over with three ice cream cones.

Mireille cleared her throat to get Marinette's attention. "Um, ice cream makes me feel better when I'm sad. I got you a cone. I hope it helps." She held out a chocolate cone to the crying girl who took it.

She then handed the strawberry cone to Ondine and sat on Marinette's other side licking her vanilla cone. The girls sat there eating their ice cream cones. After a minute or two, she pushed herself mentally to speak. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Marinette wiped the tears off her cheeks. "She told me she was going to the Louvre museum. She wanted to see if our classmate Alix would let her look at items not on display for clues about past heroes.

She had asked me to go, but I told her I was spending the day with you two. She didn't seem upset that I couldn't make it. Now I'm wondering if she lied to me. If she did, then what does that mean for our friendship?"

Ondine squeezed Marinette's shoulder. "Before you start questioning her word, why not give her a call to find out her side of the story?"

Mireille spoke up. "If she didn't lie, she just happened to hook up with Lila, then you have nothing to worry about. If she did, well then it's up to you to decide where you go from here."

Later, when Marinette got home. She called Alya only for it to go to voicemail. She sent her a text and waited for a response. Sadly, Alya never texted her back that night.

* * *

The next morning, Lila was preparing for school. She had spotted Ondine, Mireille, and Marinette yesterday while she was at the café with Alya. She smirked on how easy it was to lay claim on Alya.

Lila was pleased with the wedge she had driven between Alya and Marinette. A few well-placed lies and Marinette would lose one of her biggest supports.

"Once Marinette hits rock bottom, I'll make sure she transfers into Mendievel's class and me back into Ms. Bustier's. By the time I'm finished I'll have ruined the reputation of everyone in that ogre of a woman class so no one will believe a word they say!"

"I don't think so, daughter." Spinning around, she saw her father standing in her doorway, his arms crossed and stern look on his face. His eyes narrowed at his daughter as if seeing who she was for the first time. It appeared he was displeased by what he saw.

"Father? What do you mean by that?" Lila demanded angrily. She had never seen her father looking at her like that before.

"Don't raise your voice to me, Lila. It's time we have a discussion about your recent behavior. Follow me."

Lila had no choice, but to follow her father as he led her upstairs to the home conference room. The board of directors to Treasure Incorporated would meet here at least once a week to discuss family employees behavior, efficiency, and possible advancement for some of them.

Sitting at the head of the table were Lila's grandparents, Simon, and Jeanne Rossi. Her mother was also there, sitting straight up with her hands folded in her lap. In front of her was a large folder with documents inside them.

Vino indicated a seat near the head of the table for Lila to sit at and then took his own seat. He looked at his parents and gave him them a nod. Simon addressed his granddaughter. "Lila, do you know why we summoned you here?"

The Italian girl shook her head. Since she wasn't an employee yet, what reason would they have to bring her to the conference room?

"You are here because your future with the company is at stake. Thanks to your recent actions the company is being scrutinized by the authorities for possible fraud and illegal business practices."

Lila raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "How is this my fault? What could I have done that would risk the company's reputation?"

Jeanne snapped at her granddaughter. "Your promises to supply your classmate, Ms. Bubbles, with state of the art gym equipment and telling her you supposedly had connections to Olympic training centers for a start.

What she received turned out to be worthless equipment and no contact information. Do you realize that you were opening us to a lawsuit or ruining the reputation of the company's quality products?"

Lila opened her mouth to defend herself when Jeanne cut her off. "Then there is the matter with those two weather girls you tricked. You told them that this company had ties with TV networks, something we don't and gave them your word that you would use your supposed connections to advance their careers.

You spread false information about the company! Information, which could make sure we don't have future partners in business endeavors. How is that good business sense?"

"If you just let me explain…"

"Lila, stop talking. You'll get your turn to speak soon enough, but we still have a lot to discuss; including your recent stunt at school," her mother snapped at her.

Lila rolled her eyes as her mother lectured her on about her irresponsible behavior and her lack of consideration for everyone involved when she decided to force herself into another classroom. That she was lucky they had been able to smooth over her actions with school officials. If they hadn't she would have been suspended.

Olivia also went on about how Lila was behaving more like a toddler in the midst of a temper tantrum than a young lady. Her skipping school whenever she didn't feel like going, or, having others "assist" her with her homework, was getting out of hand.

Vino then started explaining his displeasure with his daughter's recent actions towards the family. Frankly, it was atrocious how she was treating both her grandparents and him and her mother. Her lack of respect for him and her mother was deplorable. Her attitude towards her grandparents was unbecoming. Her cruelness to her cousins was well out of line.

"When it comes down to it Lila, your recent behavior and actions, are creating problems within this family and ruining the company's image. Your lies at school are interfering with your education and your attempts to break up the relationship between Ms. Dupain-Cheng and Mr. Agreste, are putting your future with this company at risk. This needs to stop."

Incapable to control her rage, Lila lashed out in anger. "Why are you trying to force me to stop doing what you raised me to do?" She pointed at her parents, her eyes ablaze. They were being hypocrites and criticizing her.

"I can't recall you ever reprimanding me when I lied to other people. As long as I didn't lie to you or the family, you were fine with it!" She whipped her head and looked at her grandparents. It angered her further they were just sitting there looking smug.

"If you're displeased with my behavior maybe you shouldn't have taught me how to be ruthless and intimidating for running a business. What I'm doing is using the same tricks you taught me to use to get what I want!"

Throwing her hands up in the air she growled at the four people in the room. "So what if I skip school or have others do my homework? I'm smarter than them and if they're that credulous to not realize what's happening, then it's their own fault."

Lila stopped screeching when she felt a hard slap against her face. Holding her stinging cheek, she started cowering under the gaze of her grandfather. He was radiating anger and was doing his best to remain calm and composed. His face hardened as he stared down at the teenager.

"Your lack of respect is only matched by your hubris young lady. If you think you are better than everyone else and that you don't have to show common courtesy, then you are delusional. You lack focus on long term goals and letting petty little problems be your priority instead.

Our family has held onto its wealth and prestige by presenting a united front and respectful business practices. We only use intimidation and half lies when it's absolutely necessary to achieve a goal, such as when we desire a partnership with a different business."

"Furthermore granddaughter, we are respectful, gentile to others, and keep our word. We do not throw temper tantrums when we don't get our way, nor does a Rossi neglect their education," Jeanne criticized the teenager. "Your habit of pathologically lying will backfire one day when you try to tell the truth and no one will believe you."

Olivia and Vino held their hands together giving Lila an unyielding look. "Your days of lying and manipulating others has come to an end daughter. We are giving you an ultimatum Lila. If you don't shape up your behavior and continue to neglect to be a respectful, responsible, mature young lady, then you will be disinherited and barred from ever working in the company," Vino warned her

"Also, if you step a toe out of line at school, you're going to find yourself shipped off to military school young lady. Now get to school Lila and remember, we're watching you closely."

Holding back an angry retort, she gathered her backpack, politely said goodbye, and left. Lila was furious about being threatened by her own family. At the same time, she knew they were dead serious. Unlike her classmates and some of her teachers, there was no way for her to fool her family.

Time to keep my head down until I can think of a new way to control the school she thought to herself as she approached the school.

* * *

At the shop, Master Fu had decided to close for the day so he could work on updating the Miraculous Book. He was nearly finished with writing the text and then he would work on the illustrations for the chapters.

"Gigi, can you explain more about your special ability, please? I need to make sure I can explain it accurately."

Gigi came to rest on top of the book. "My special ability enhances a human's normal sensory range by two folds. For sight, my wielder can see as far as a bird of prey and can peer into ultraviolet light. Hearing as accurate as a bat, while their sense of smell is just as good as a bloodhound."

She waited until Fu finished writing her answer down before talking about the last two senses. "The sense of taste is magnified to match a catfish. The sense of touch is super accurate, just like a spider is."

Her "siblings" shuddered as they listened to her list off the animal like senses. Not that they minded the animals themselves, but when you mentioned them all together it wasn't a pleasant image that came to mind.

"Thank you for the accurate description, Gigi. I'm sure future wielders will find it useful."

There was a knock on the door startling the Kwamiis. They quickly went to hide while Fu went to the door. "I'm sorry we are closed for the day. Please come back tomorrow."

"I have just spent the last three hours on a plane, crammed between a crying baby and an old woman who snored the whole trip. Please let me inside," a heavily Ukrainian accented voice said.

Realizing who his visitor was, Fu opened the door. "Welcome to my humble business Ms.?"

"Bereza, Ulyana Bereza. I thank you for fitting me in." They stepped into the residence. After a quick security scan, the woman relaxed her shoulders.

"Sorry about keeping up the act, but I'm not supposed to be here technically. If my superiors found out I was here, I needed to give them a legitimate reason for stopping here at the shop," Ning explained as she took off her shoes and rubbed her sore feet.

She removed her jacket and laid down on the massage mat. Fu gathered his supplies and started to give her a good massage to work the tension out of her body. As he did that, the Kwamiis came out of hiding realizing it was safe to be out.

As Fu continued to work with Ning he asked her why she wasn't supposed to be here technically. She explained she had been scheduled to remain in Kyiv for another week, but took an earlier flight out to Paris because of a personal problem.

Before he could inquire further, the weather outside changed instantaneously. The sky was red and shaking could be heard as a volcano appeared in the middle of the city. Smoke filled the air as a strong wind blew it all over the place.

The Kwamiis flew over to the windows to look outside as Fu and Ning joined them. Upon seeing what was outside, Ning couldn't help but comment, "I'm glad to know I was right to take an early flight."

Fu's eyes went to the clock to check the time. It was still morning and a few hours away from lunchtime. "Judging by the weather outside, I believe we're dealing with Stormy Weather again. Hawkmoth must have upgraded her powers."

Ning had no doubt that something at school must have upset the girl badly enough to warrant another akumanzation. There were a few possibilities Ning thought off, but without any additional information, she was unable to come to a conclusion.

Honorra landed on Master Fu's shoulder. "What should we do Great Guardian?" her voice was full of anxiety. The others also had worried expressions considering this was not like a regular Akuma attack.

Fu stroked his beard and told them to stand down. "It is far too dangerous outside to go looking for the three temporary heroes. All we can do is sit here and hope Ladybug and Chat Noir can resolve this one quick."

Clustering together the Great Guardian studied his Apprentice in great detail. Had he known, all those years ago that little girl he had saved, would grow into the complicated woman she was today, he might not have given her back.

Reflecting on past memories, he remembered how the six year old spoke with far more eloquence and maturity than any child should have at that age. How she didn't seem part of the world she lived in.

When he finally reconnected with her, he had been very pleased to see how she had protected his gift. "I recall our reunion at the airport. You were shocked to see me and to be offered the chance to train with me."

"I did repress most of my memory of our time together. It was the one positive non-training moment in my life. I never wanted my handlers to know about it."

Ning thought back to how far she had come from that day when she apologized to the teenagers for kidnapping them. How they opened her eyes to becoming her own person, even becoming her first friends.

Both the Great Guardian and Peace Keeper shared their memories of how far both of them had progressed. Master Fu felt grateful for having Ning back in his life. He admired how extraordinary she was as both a person and Apprentice. She excelled at learning the skills and powers she would one day use when it was her time to be the Great Guardian.

Ning felt happier than she had been in years. Ever since she reconnected with the one adult who treated her normally she had been making strides in her personal life. She was now able to speak up to her bosses and explain what she needed and why she needed to have time for herself.

Both of them looked out the window and saw that the Akuma had been taken care of and life resumed to normal on this lovely day.

* * *

The next morning after breakfast, Fu decided it was time to begin teaching Ning, some advanced techniques. The first one was modifying a Miraculous, which confused her.

"What do you mean by modifying the Miraculous? I thought a Miraculous couldn't change its shape and the only way to gain other superhero forms was if the Kwamiis drank the right potion," Ning pointed out. There was some anxiety in her voice making Fu wonder what was bothering her.

"Perhaps I should have used another term. What I meant is that the Miraculous can modify if a wielder suffers an injury or has a disability, with the correct spell."

His Apprentice looked bewildered by this explanation. She had read a lot about the history of the Miraculouses, but couldn't recall a single mention of a wielder who had a disability.

Flipping through the Miraculous Book, Master Fu came to a page with an illustration on it. The picture showed a young dark skinned man wearing the Dog Miraculous. His outfit was modeled off a basenji, the barkless dog from Africa, though the colors were pumpkin orange and cornsilk white instead of brindle and pure white.

Not surprisingly the hero was named Basenji. Studying the image she noticed something she hadn't noticed on the costume, she hadn't seen before. There was something attached to the side of the high neck collar. It looked like an early version of a mechanical voice box.

"Judging by the voice box I surmise this wielder was born mute. The magic of the Dog Miraculous gave him an artificial voice, but how?"

"The magic of the Miraculous gives the user what they want. If a wielder requires something extra, one of these spells," Fu explained as his flipped through the pages before tapping one with a list of spells, "can be used to modify the magic of the Miraculous to compensate for the problem."

The list contained a variety of spells. There were ones to help people who had sensory deprivation disorders such as being blind or deaf. Spells to compensate for lost limbs. Even spells to hold back a chronic disease, such as diabetes and asthma, while transformed.

She did notice the warning on the top of the page. The spells lasted as long as the transformation held. Once the wielder turned back into a civilian everything returned to normal. Also, if a person spent too much time transformed, the magic would become less effective.

No doubt a precaution to keep a person from staying transformed forever and leaving behind a sick and ravenous kwami Ning thought to herself. These spells are very challenging to do.

Someone would need perfect control over everything involved, from the proper pronunciation of the words to also having the control to use the right amount of lifeforce to put into the spell.

"These spells are very advance, even for you. I should not be teaching you them until you have reached level four," Fu explained to her. He sighed and shoulders sagged revealing how tired and old he really was.

Wayzz took notice of this. "Master, I think you should go back to bed. You don't look like you slept at all last night."

Fu started to contend when he let out a loud prolonged yawn. His pseudo granddaughter noticed the bags under his eyes. He really didn't have any energy and it looked as if he was having trouble staying focused.

"Come on Wayzz, help me get him to bed. He's understandably been working too hard." Ning pulled the old man to his feet and swung one of his arms over her shoulder. Wayzz, with help from Stuffo, Bukku, and Socco, held up the other arms as they steered the old man back to his bed.

Honorra and Gigi had finished fluffing the pillows, as Ellery came in holding a cup filled with an herbal sleeping draft inside. They all helped put the Great Guardian into bed and made sure he drank the draft. Once they were certain he was asleep, they left the room and shut the door quietly.

Someone needs to run the shop today, he can't afford to be closed two days in a row. I have no choice. "I'm going to fill in for Master Fu today."

Wayzz jerked his head at the young woman. "Are you sure that's wise? Do you know anything about giving massages? What about using holistic healing methods?"

"I'm not an expert, but neither am I, a beginner. I can handle this Wayzz. Trust me," she told him in a confident tone.

Wayzz looked inexact about this. He knew how knowledgeable Ning was in a variety of fields, ranging from international diplomacy to an extensive understanding of magic. Could she be good at something physical and not mental?

* * *

The first client came in about half an hour later, giving Ning the time she needed to resume her Ulyana guise. He was astounded to find her there and not Fu but accepted she was just a temp working for today. She asked the client to lay down on the mat and let her take care of him.

Ning started giving the man a simple massage trying to work out the stiffness in the man's shoulders. It took a little longer than usual to work out the tension and afterward she needed to double check to make sure she was reading the man's energies right to give him a recommendation on what food would be best to help maintain a balanced diet.

The next appointment came in when she was still cleaning up from her first appointment. This time it was a young woman who was irritated that she had to wait ten minutes before her Swedish friction massage to help with her blood flow.

This massage was a bit trickier because of the precise pressure needed when doing the circular motions in order to get the blood flowing properly. Ning's technique was in the middle, not a beginner nor a master. The woman left feeling better, but scornfully told Ning she needed to practice more.

The third appointment was much easier. All she had to do was listen to a client and see if the treatment Master Fu had recommended was working. "So the meditation is helping keep your stress down?"

"Immeasurably. I'm able to focus better at work without worrying about deadlines or that I don't have the right tools to finish tailoring a piece to perfection," a young man, who was a tailor employed by Gabriel Agreste's company, told her.

She nodded and gestured for him to continue. "My feet are sore from standing on them all day. Do you have a recommendation to help with that?"

"Yes, just let me double check Mr. Chan's notes." A quick glance at them and she was confident when she gave the recommendation. "Mr. Chan suggests you should pamper your feet with essential oils to make the soreness subside.

Fill a bowl with hot water and then add 2 drops peppermint oil, along with four drops each of eucalyptus and rosemary oil. Soak your feet twice a day for ten minutes and the soreness should go away."

The customer nodded and paid for the oils before leaving. Ning took a deep breath and let it out. "That went better than expected. I hope the next few clients are this easy to please. I told Wayzz I could handle it."

* * *

A few hours later, Fu yawned as he woke up feeling completely refreshed. "I didn't realize how poor I've been sleeping. I feel reinvigorated after that nap. I wonder how Ning is doing with memorizing those spells."

He left his bedroom and was surprised to see no one in the kitchen. He checked the guest room and knocked on the bathroom door. No one was there. "Surely she wouldn't open the business and work all by herself, would she?"

He went into his work area and saw a saddened Ning sitting on his work mat. The other Kwamiis were hovering around comforting her, including Huhu and Cammie. Marinette and Adrien must have brought them back earlier.

He sat down next to her and let her lean on him. His shirt was getting wet from her tears but he didn't move. Fu just stroked her hair and waited for her to calm down.

"Why do I keep failing Master?" Ning whispered softly to him.

He raised an eyebrow and tilted her chin up so they were looking each other straight in the eye. "What do you mean by failure?"

She hesitated before speaking. "Technically, I didn't accomplish my mission in Ukraine. I was unable to convince the two proto states to consider about reunifying with their former country."

"Because a fully united country has a better chance of forcing invaders out of their borders, correct?" Fu asked as he stroked his little beard.

His pseudo granddaughter nodded and explained how today at the shop went. Her efforts had been good, but not perfect. The responses from the clients had her questioning her worth.

"My entire existence is because I am needed to help maintain peace and resolve conflict before it becomes a global problem. In order to do that, I have to be confident in everything, but after two failures, I don't know if I'll ever be again."

Ning pulled her head away and looked at the floor. What if the UN Security Council found about her failures? Would she be terminated for failure?

Suddenly she found herself being licked on the cheek. She giggled uncontrollably. "Stop, please. Huhu please stop!"

Huhu did stop and perched on her right shoulder. "Ning, do you think perhaps at times you can be overconfident?" Sensing her confusion the kwami added. "I know you cling to your purpose because it's all you have ever known. In your mind, if you fail then there's no point for you to live. Hence, you get overconfident in order to not feel that way."

Ning knew it was true. Her fatal flaw had always been being overconfident. When she first started her missions, it made her rush through them and having to go back and fix any mistakes she made. Over time she learned to keep her confidence in check. Unfortunately, it was rearing its ugly head again.

Huhu patted the young woman on the cheek. "I know you are very altruistic to others. You give yourself to the world no matter how hard it is. Have you ever let anyone be altruistic to you?"

Ning looked at the kwami as if he just said the sky was green. "Letting others be altruistic to _me_? Huhu, until midway last year no one except the Security Council and Master Fu even knew I existed!

Even now, that the Miraculous wielders know about me, I spend most of my time helping them out and learning to be the next Great Guardian. The most help I've received was Fu taking care of me after my travels."

Fu placed his hand on Ning's left shoulder. "Huhu has a point, my dear. Even though only a few people know about you, it is important to give them a chance to help you. Helping others has its own rewards. Receiving help from your friends can also make you feel good about yourself."

Ning placed her right hand over the one on her shoulder. "I'll give it a try. It would be nice for someone to do something for me for a change." She hugged Master Fu tightly as the Kwamiis all sighed with contentment of seeing the little family happy once more.


	6. Naiveness

Master Fu had woken up early the next day. He peeked into the guest room and saw Ning was still asleep. The Kwamiis had all take up different sleeping spots around the bed keeping her company.

Satisfied with what he saw, he went on a stroll outside. There was an old friend of his who he wanted to meet up with. Someone who could help him do something really special for the young woman in his home.

He arrived at an older office building. Entering it, he climbed the stairs to the second floor and came to a door with a plaque on it. It said: RUAN FANG. FAMILY LAW.

Knocking on the door, the person inside told him to come in. Fu entered into the lawyer's office. It was set up in a traditional Chinese fashion. Sitting next to a low table was a man about Fu's pretend age, who had white hair and a wrinkled face.

The man smiled when he saw who it was. "Chan Fung, it is good to see you old friend. It seems the horrors of old age still has not taken full effect over you yet."

Fu chuckled. "Only in my face. My back and legs can testify how old I'm getting these days." His friend laughed at the rejoinder as a feeling of ease settle between the two of them.

Fang gestured for his friend to take a seat and leaned on his desk a little. "It is good to see you old friend. Admittedly, I am curious at what brought you to my office so early in the morning."

"I am in need of your assistance. I wish to adopt a young woman, who I have raised for most of her life now."

His friend raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. He had known "Fung" for years now and couldn't recall him ever bringing about a child or a young woman. "I'm surprised to hear of this. I can't recall you ever speaking about this before."

Fu explained how it was a long distant matter and legally this person didn't exist because there was no record of her birth. She had been abandoned for years until he met her as a six year old.

"From what I know about her past she has had several caretakers, none who were officially her guardians and any records they might have had are now missing. I inquired about the originals without any luck."

Fang nodded understand without any certified records, this young woman really didn't exist at all. While there were no age limits on how old the adoptee was, the adoptive parent had to be twenty eight or older and there had to be an age gap of fifteen years or more.

"Does the young woman know you are doing this? Her consent is needed and I have to review the adoption laws with both of you before I can even begin to file the paperwork."

"I haven't told her yet, but I know for certain she wants this. I wanted to start the process today and perhaps show her newly established birth certificate, to help her feel part of the process."

Fang explained it would take at least a month to get everything needed for the adult adoption to be legal. There was a lot of paperwork which had to be signed. Interviews between the adult adoptee and Fung, and reconstructing lost records.

"For today you can fill out the paperwork of your intentions and then show it to the young woman, so she can give her consent. By the way, what is her name? I need to know it before I start printing out the documents needed."

"Ning, her name is Ning Sun and she's my little peacekeeper."

A few hours later, Master Fu returned home to talk with Ning about his plans to adopt her. He was already anticipating her reaction when he told her of what he intended to do. He hoped she wouldn't interpret his actions as pity towards her.

Ning was in the kitchen having brunch with the Kwamiis. They would ask her questions about modern day humanity conflicts and she would describe what she knew about them.

Upon seeing Fu's return, she greeted him happily. "Good morning Master Fu. I was surprised you weren't here when we woke up. When we couldn't find you we got worried something had happened to you."

Wayzz floated up into the air right next to Ning's face. "I assumed you went out for an early morning walk and that you would be back soon."

"We're glad you are okay Guardian," Honorra chirped up.

Master Fu inclined his head at everyone thanking them for being concerned about his safety. He explained he had gone out to an important meeting with an old friend. "Ning? Could we talk privately in my room?"

The Kwamiis understood the unsaid message. They were not invited to this conversation, so they stayed in the kitchen to wash the dishes and tidy up. Ning followed her mentor wondering what was going on.

Both of them sat down on the bed. Fu reached in and pulled out the initial document stating his intent to adopt her. Instead of showing them to her, Fu asked her question. "Ning, are you happy with your life?"

Ning peered at him in puzzlement. "I'm happy with my work and my contributions to the Miraculous team. I also enjoy spending time with you and my few true friends. Is that what you're asking?"

"Not exactly. Ning, do you feel as if the Security Council are members of your family?"

The young woman laughed loudly. "Master Fu, the Security Councilmembers are my bosses. Yes, I owe my entire existence to them, but they're not family. I don't have a family. The closest thing I have to a parent is the Earth itself."

"Would you like to be part of my family?" Fu asked kindly.

Ning went into shock as the old man gave her the document. Her heart was pounding rapidly as she read the document. Did he want to adopt her? Someone wanted her to be part of their family?

"Are you being serious? How can you adopt someone who doesn't exist? I swore to the Security Council my personal name would never be used for a mission name. What if you file this and they find out?"

"My friend is very discreet when he needs to be. I want you to be part of my family. The daughter I never had. I will give you all the love you never had growing up. The choice is up to you."

Ning flung her arms around the old man and cried tears of elation. Fu held her taking her response as a yes.

* * *

Marinette was in the locker room waiting by Alix's locker. It had been three days since she had witnessed Alya and Lila together at the café when Alya said she would be at the museum. She had tried to talk to Alya, but she was in one of her moods again and making herself unavailable.

Marinette had a lot of pressure building up in her chest. Not knowing if Alya had lied to her or not was weighing heavier each day. If she didn't learn the truth soon, she would have a heart attack. Alix finally showed up a few minutes later. If she was surprised to see Marinette waiting for her, it didn't show. "What's up Marinette? Do you need anything?"

"Can I ask you a question Alix?" the teen designer asked timidly.

"Sure, what's up?"

"A few days ago, Alya told me she was going to the museum to see if you would let her look at artifacts not on display for clues to past Miraculouses heroes. She wanted me to come, but I already had plans with Ondine and Mireille, so I couldn't go.

While I was out with them, we stopped at a café to get something to drink and I saw Alya and Lila there talking. I was pondering if they met at the museum and decided to hang out."

Alix looked incredulously upon hearing this. "Alya hasn't been to the museum in two weeks when she made that request. I told her flat out that I couldn't let her into the archives. Only conservator-restorers, historians, and other personnel are allowed down there. You need a pass or have to be accompanied by someone who works there to gain entry to the archives.

I've only been down there a few times with my brother or dad, both who made it very clear it's an off-limits area for me."

Marinette's heart sank as the pressure in her body got heavier forcing her to sit down on the floor and take deep breaths. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Alya, her best friend, had _lied_ to her?

Alix sat next to Marinette as the girl sniffed and tried to hold back her tears. "Why would Alya lie to me? After everything we've been through together, she would _lie _to me over something as stupid as righting a wrong?"

Alix was not good with saying the right thing when someone was upset. Still, she needed to make an effort to help. "I don't know why Alya would lie. I don't understand why she's still fuming about something she should have been over with by now.

I know I am remorseful for how I treated you. Nathanial is my best guy friend and he told me about what happened. It was a real wake up call for me and I should have said something earlier, but I'm not good with feelings."

Marinette knew this. Sabrina and Kim also had this problem. Sabrina was used to putting Chloe's feelings and needs before her own. Now that Chloe was making a real effort to change, Sabrina was slowly learning about who she was as an individual and make sense of her own emotions.

Kim was very expressive with his emotions and was known not to always say the right thing. Especially when it came to apologizing to people. Max had told her that Kim was sorry about his behavior, he just didn't know how to say it.

She was giving both of them the benefit of the doubt. Still, what was she supposed to do about Alya? "I trusted Alya with all my heart. I thought she was my friend. Do I really mean that little to her?"

Alix shrugged her shoulders. "The only person who knows how Alya's mind works is Alya. From what I've seen, she can have tunnel vision when it comes to her blog and anything related to the Miraculous heroes."

Trying to represses her frustration with Alya for forcing her into this situation, the girl added. "I'm not saying you should forgive her or still be friends with her. All I'm saying is Alya's complicated and you need to decide how you want to handle this."

Marinette took a deep breath and stood up. Holding out her hand she pulled the short girl to her feet. "Thanks for telling me the truth. I'm going to talk with Alya today and get a straight answer."

As hurt and angry as she was, Marinette knew if she confronted Alya in public, it would make her tremendously defensive and cause a scene, which is what no doubt what Lila wanted.

That meant either talking at Marinette's home or Alya's. If they went to her home, she would have her parents for backup and they could call Alya's parents to let them know what was going on.

If they went to Alya's home, they would have more privacy and Alya would feel comfortable. If her parents were out though, they would end up watching the twins and never get a chance to talk.

* * *

When the final bell rang, Marinette stood up quickly and caught Alya by her hand. "Hey Alya, I'm sorry about not being able to make it to the museum with you the other day. I was wondering if you wanted to come over right now."

Alya looked at Marinette and glanced at her phone. "I'm not sure I can make it. I have to relieve Nora from babysitting duties in an hour and I was hoping to get my homework done by then."

Continuing to repress any negative thoughts or feelings, Marinette pleaded with Alya to come over. "Just for a few minutes. My parents are catering the big Ladybug and Chat Noir movie premier in a few days. I'm sure they would love being interviewed for your blog."

Alya's eyes lit up at the mention of the movie. "I have been looking for an interesting angle to post on my blog. A premier event from the eyes of the catering staff sounds perfect."

Sabine and Tom were pleased to see Alya come in with Marinette. "Hello, Alya. It's been a while since you came over. Everything okay with your family?" Sabine inquired.

"Everyone's doing great. I've just been a bit busy with homework and my blog to come to visit. It's no big deal," the girl waved it off. She missed the looked husband and wife shared with each other as she went for her phone.

"Marinette told me you're doing the catering for the Ladybug movie. Can I ask you a few questions for my blog?"

The Dupain-Chengs were happy to share. They explained how they got hired by the director Thomas Astruc himself because of how careful they were with making sweets for people with allergies.

There was also the enormous process of making and storing all the pastries until it was time to bring them to the event. They mentioned that it was such a big job that needed extra help.

Marinette explained she was going to help out and tried to not get irritated as Alya asked if it was a joke. When she realized Marinette was being honest she told her how cool that was.

As the girl's headed to her bedroom, Marinette casually remarked, "My parents really do need the extra help for the event. It would be great if you could help us out. The director gave us one extra ticket to the movie so we could watch it together."

"That would be great. It's just I already have a ticket because I'm the head of the LadyNoir blog. It's going to be a lot of fun!" Alya replied happily. Her eyes twinkled as she thought of something.

"Why don't you give the extra ticket to Lila? She loves helping out with others and it would a great way for you two to bond!"

Hearing those words, the pigtailed girl couldn't hold anything back. "Why would I give my extra ticket to someone who is a liar?! I asked you because you're my best friend and I hoped by giving you the ticket you would be honest with me!"

"EXCUSE ME?! I have never lied to you!"

"Then why were you at the café with Lila instead of the museum with Alix? Also, why would you lie about what you wanted to do when Alix told you two weeks prior she couldn't grant your request?" the dark hair girl demanded.

"I was trying to get you to spend a girl's day with Lila and me! If I told you she would be there you wouldn't have come!"

"I told you I had plans already with Ondine and Mireille remember? Also, why are you trying so hard to make me like Lila? I don't have to like the same people as you to be your friend.

What's the real reason you are still angry with me about what happened weeks ago? Everyone else in the class has apologized to me, so why haven't you?"

"If you have to ask _Malika _then you'll never know!" Alya snapped as she ran down the stairs, out the bakery door and headed for her home in tears.

She didn't seem aware she had called Marinette by another name or that the girl was talking with her kwami trying to understand what had just happened.

* * *

A few days later it was the day of the big premier. Marinette had asked the girls from her class if they would help out with the catering. Knowing this would help Marinette forgive them, the girls agreed.

As for the extra ticket, she had offered it to Master Fu thinking he would like to see the difference between the movie and real life. He remarked how thoughtful Marinette was, but insisted that Ning take his place because she had never actually gone to a movie theater for fun before.

At the theater, the girls had just finished putting on their maid outfits, (Alix wore her skates instead of the shoes), to assist the Dupain-Chengs. The lobby was filling up with the guests for the premier.

"This is going to be so fun! I really hope everyone has a good time," Rose chirped happily. She was eager to get started passing out the food.

Alix rolled her eyes at the blond's sprightliness. "I just hope no one expects us to wait on them hand and foot."

Juleka bumped Alix reminding her why they were doing this. Mylene gave everyone an encouraging smile. Catering a tray of macaroons, the girls started their rounds.

Alix skated through the crowd and over to the little kids who had been invited to the film. A rather corpulent man with green eyes, black hair and a beard, who was wearing black pants and a black shirt, over which he wears a black jacket, with a press pass on a lanyard, was talking to the little kids.

"The animators draw the characters in a sequence so they appear to be moving. As the director I…"

"You mean you haven't met Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"Why is it a cartoon instead of real?"

"What good are you if you don't really do anything?"

The man looked very upset by the kids' questions so she skated between them. "Hey, who wants snacks?" The kids cheered as the man left looking for someone else to talk to.

Juleka and Mylene were handing out the pastries to the music industries geniuses who had been invited to the premier. Jagged Stone was talking to the same man Alix had interceded for. "The storyboards artists develop the sequences throughout the film. My job…"

Jagged Stone raised his hands and interrupted the man. "So you didn't create the story or help with any of the sequences? So did you voice the characters or did you get Ladybug and Chat Noir to do it?"

"No, I didn't voice the characters. While I didn't make the actual storyboards I…"

"How could you not have Ladybug and Chat Noir voice themselves? It's a travesty!"

The girls saw the way the conversation was going so they went over and handed out the macaroons to cut the conversation short. Jagged Stone started gulping them down and once again the man left.

Rose was her perky self as she weaved between the people. She spotted Alya, who was actually in a dress, talking with Nadja. She strolled over and smiled. "Hi, Alya! Hi Ms. Chamack! Would you love to taste these luscious pastries?"

"Thank you, I will. Tom and Sabine's pastries are always the best," Nadja stated brightly. She took three of them and happily chowed down.

Alya glared and refused the pastry saying she wasn't hungry. Not picking up on Alya's anger, Rose start chatting happily with Alya. "Isn't this the most amazing event in our young lives? We're all getting to see the Ladybug and Chat Noir movie together! Of course, I and the girls will have to stand in the back to watch it, but you get a seat so close to the front!

It was nice of Marinette to let you interview her parents for your blog. Not to mention how sweet it was of her to offer you her extra ticket, even though you had one already."

"Yes, it was. I have to go now, Rose. There are a lot more people to interview before the movie starts."

From across the room, Marinette sighed after seeing Alya brush Rose off. She had wanted to give up on Alya, but Tikki insisted that she keep investigating for the reason behind Alya's actions.

A woman she didn't know approached her to get a macaroon. "These look delicious. May I try one?"

"Certainly!" Marinette said holding up the plate.

The woman took a pastry and ate it slowly, savoring the flavor. "Thanks for the treat Marinette, and I don't just mean the macaroon. I was happy to accept your extra ticket."

Marinette blinked her eyes. She started to speak when Peace Keeper pressed her finger to the girl's lips. "I'm Ulyana Bereza. I'm a public speaker/negotiator. Always nice to take a break from work." She looked down at her purse and back up quickly silently indicating she had a guest with her.

Before the two of them could discuss it further they jumped in surprise upon hearing a loud voice bellowing. "THIS WAS SUPPOSE TO BE MY BIG DAY! I WORKED HARD TO MAKE THIS MOVIE HAPPEN AND NONE OF YOU KNOW WHO I AM, LET ALONE APPRECIATE ME?"

Thomas Astruc stormed out of the lobby heading to the bathroom, still yelling out loud about the unfairness of the day.

"He's prime akuma material. We need to calm him down fast!" Marinette hissed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adrien hastily leaving Kagami to head to the bathroom.

Ulyana/Ning shoved her purse into Marinette's hands, causing the teenager to drop the plate of macaroons, she followed after Adrien.

Opening the purse, Marinette raised an eyebrow in surprise. She thought the little guest would be a member of the Humanities Circle. Instead, it was Pollen! "What are you doing in there?" she whispered.

"One of my former wielders was a star in the theater. Ever since then, if there's a play or movie I really like, I've found some way to attend."

Screaming filled the lobby as Marinette ducked behind some trash cans. Peeking out from behind, she got a good look at Mr. Astruc, who had been turned into an Akuma.

He appeared to be a silhouette of his normal form but semi-transparent with pencil-scribbles filling out his body. He also wore a Ladybug mask. "I am Animastro! You think I'm not important enough to be here tonight? Then let me show you the power of animation!"

There was a flash of light and suddenly a toon twister was sending everyone scattering. People ran for the exit as everything about the premier was destroyed. Once everything was ruined, he returned to himself and walked out the door yelling that he would get the Miraculouses for Hawkmoth.

Knowing her partner and Peace Keeper would after the villain, Marinette transformed. As she was swinging towards the battle, she saw Rose looking around anxiously for someone in the alley by the theater.

Rose was in full blown panic mode. She hadn't seen Marinette exit the theater and was looking to see if she took the back entrance out. She heard the whir of a yo-yo being tossed and quickly turned around seeing Ladybug landing in the alley.

"Ladybug! I can't find my friend Marinette! I was helping her out at the premier event by serving pastries and then the Akuma…"

Ladybug placed both hands on her shoulders and told her to calm down. "I know what happened. I found and hid Marinette somewhere safe nearby. Animastro is very powerful and we could use your help in defeating him."

Plucking the hair comb from Ladybug's hands she called out her transformation phrase. A minute later, Ladybug and Honey Bee swung out of the alley towards the fight.

A large green cartoon dragon was marching through the city firing energy blasts. Anything they hit turned into confetti. Seeing the two heroines, he fired an energy blast at them.

The girls plummeted down before the blast could hit them. Animastro got ready to spew more only to be hit upside the head with Chat Noir's separated stick. "What do you know? You really do see stars when you've been hit upon the head!" he cheerfully laughed as his weapon returned to his hands.

"You think you're so funny? Try this!" A flash of light and now Animastro was a giant mecha with a glowing sword. "Nothing will stop animation!" he bellowed as he brought the sword crashing down on the building the three of them were standing on.

"JUMP!" Ladybug commanded as they all leaped off the building and watched it be sliced in two.

There was another flash and now he appeared to be red and purple Transformer from the 1980s. "You can't outrun me on wheels," the clunky robot voice cackled. There was the sound of gears shifting and a race car started coming after them.

Honey Bee saw civilians running to get away when one of them tripped. Animastro wasn't slowing down. Pitching her trompo, she lassoed the civilian and quickly dragged the person back to her, as she took off into the air, the villain barely missing her by half an inch.

Once she safely landed she let go of the civilian. "You're safe now. You better go hide until this is over."

"Thanks!"

Turning around, she Animastro was gone along with her teammates. She heard more shouting and followed them back to their source. She arrived just in time to witness Animastro switch from being a superheroine into a ninja, jumping into a huge hole in the ground.

"I've got to help them!" Honey Bee exclaimed as she landed on the ground and ran over the hole. She couldn't see through all the smoke. "Are you guys okay?" she called down.

Instantly, Animastro jumped out of the hole and changed again into some kind of magic girl. The Akuma charged and then kicked her chest sending her skidding across the road.

"You will give me your Miraculous!" the Akuma snapped at her. Animastro changed again into some character from an anime. Honey Bee got up and reached into her pouch. Molding the honey into a ball she threw at the same time Animastro released some type of energy ball at her.

The two attacks crashed into each other canceling each other out. Not sure what to do next, Honey Bee stood her ground waiting to see what to do next.

Ladybug and Chat Noir suddenly appeared yelling at everyone to close their eyes and not look at Animastro. "He can't move if no one's watching him!" Ladybug shouted.

Animastro laughed as he turned into himself again. "There will be always someone watching my animation efforts! You'll never defeat me!"

"Not if I block everyone's view!" Honey Bee announced loudly. She touched her Miraculous and thought hard about what she wanted. "Swarm!" Her giant swarm of bees flew all over the city covering every window and door.

There was a loud boom as a powerful EMP bomb detonated at the TV station knocking out the wireless so there was no way to view the footage on any media platform. Smart thinking by Peace Keeper who now had her eyes closed.

With that taken care off, everyone shut their eyes tightly. They all heard Chat Noir call for his attack as Animastro yelled at everyone to watch him only to stop in midsentence.

A minute later the attack was over and everything was returned to normal. Rose was a little sad to see Pollen go after she handed back the Miraculous. The kwami promised they would see each other again.

* * *

When Rose got to school two days later, she was happy as she could be. She had seen Pollen and even helped stop an Akuma once more. The movie had been awesome and she knew today would be wonderful.

She entered her classroom and was surprised to see Alya sitting in the back alone. Marinette was at her desk, trying to stop herself from crying. "Alya, why are you sitting back there? You should be sitting her helping your best friend. She's sad and I know you can cheer her up!"

"I think you can cheer Marinette up. After all, you're good at that," Alya informed Rose as she glared at her for a second.

Rose was puzzled by tone of Alya's voice, not realizing she was being talked down to. "You're her best friend. I'm sure she would appreciate you helping her feel better. Isn't that right Marinette?"

The pigtail girl kept her head down and didn't say anything. She was praying Rose would just drop the matter. The blond didn't and asked if Marinette felt sick and did she need to go to the nurse's office.

By this time, the rest of the class had filtered in. Still worried about Marinette, Rose went to her seat and did her best to listen as Ms. Bustier began to teach. Surprisingly, she didn't make any remark about Alya not sitting in her proper seat.

When it was time to go to math class, Rose skipped to the class so she could talk to Alya. "Hi Alya, I'm sorry you had to sit in the back of the class for some reason. It must be nice to know you'll be in your regular seat in Ms. Mendievel's class right?"

Alya rolled her eyes. "Actually I was hoping to sit the back this class period. So why don't we swap seats for the day?" she asked in a fake happy voice, though Rose didn't pick up on that.

"Okay, if you're sure you want to do that, then I'm willing to switch for the period!" She cheerfully sat down next to Marinette who still had tearstains on her face. "Hi Marinette, are you feeling any better?"

"I'm fine Rose, let's just pay attention to Ms. Mendievel's instructions today," Marinette replied hurriedly. The blond nodded enthusiastically and paid strict attention to Ms. Mendievel's lesson.

When lunchtime arrived, Rose once again approached Alya, who was sitting by herself. She sat down at the table and smiled brightly, still not recognizing that Alya was about to lose her cool.

"So how do you enjoy sitting in the back of the classroom? It must have been hard to see in the back with your glasses. I guess that's why you sit in the front with Marinette. Should we switch back for math later today?"

"Enough Rose!" Alya snarled as she hit the table with her tray, causing the contents to spill onto it. "How can you be so naïve not to pick up that I don't like Marinette anymore? I don't care for people like her! Just leave me alone Rose and go hang out with Malika if you're so damn interested in her opinion."

Alya grabbed her bag, tossed her lunch away and left the school. The blond started to cry and her friends came over to comfort her. Marinette watched Alya go and her expression troubled. "What has gotten into you Alya? Who is Malika?" she whispered.

* * *

Rose was a mess when she got home that day. Alya's words hurt more than she was willing to admit. What hurt the most was when Rose told the other girls what Alya had said, none of them had repudiated the part about her being naïve.

"Am I really that naïve? Can I really be so dense not to realize what's happening around me?" Rose questioned herself by looking into the bathroom mirror. "Maybe I shouldn't even go to school tomorrow."

"I'm not sure that is wise," a little voice said from above her. Rose looked up and saw Ellery looking at her. Ellery tilted her head and gave her a warm look. "What seems to be the problem dear?"

"Are you a kwami? No, that's ridiculous. I'm being naïve again," the blond moaned. She refused to look up anymore.

"Tut, tut, tut. You're not imagining me if you're worried about that. My "cousin" Pollen sensed you in distress and asked me to visit." Ellery floated down and hugged Rose's cheek.

The petite blond giggled a little. Ellery's trunk was tickling her. Ellery started to tickle her cheek more and soon Rose was giggling happily, her tears drying up.

"Feel better my dear?"

"Yes, I am. Are you really Pollen's cousin?"

Ellery smiled at Rose. "Yes, I am dear. My name is Ellery and I'm the kwami of Loyalty. I'm here to help you deal with someone calling you out on your fatal flaw."

Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, Rose fiddled with her hands. "Am I really naïve?"

"Only in some aspects of life my dear," Ellery responded as she settled down next to the human girl. Putting her tiny paw/hand on the girl's she explained what she meant. "Are you naïve about the way the world works today? No, you're not. Nor are you naïve when it comes to what you can and cannot do right now.

What you are naïve about is relationships between people and how their feelings at times."

"That was angrily pointed out to me today."

"While the method was cruel, it is always good to know your fatal flaw," Ellery pointed out good-naturedly. "Rose dear, you always look for the bright side and hope for the best. Your belief that if everyone is happy all the time then nothing can go wrong. However, relationships between people don't work like that.

People will have ups and downs. Some will get angry and lash out at people, even if they're not truly mad at them. Other times they'll distance themselves because they don't feel the same way about the other person anymore."

Rose nodded understanding what Ellery was telling her. "What should I do then if I see friends fighting like this again?"

"There's nothing you can really do to fix the problem. What you can do is be loyal to your friends by being a support for them when they're going through a tough time.

Being loyal to someone doesn't mean you have to agree with everything they say or do. Loyalty is about trusting the people you love and know to find the solution to their own problems while supporting them, even if they make dumb ones. If they're truly loyal to you as well, then when you need their support, they'll be there for you."

"Thanks, Ellery, but I do have one more question. If I've been naïve for as long as I can remember, then how do I know if someone new to me is worth giving my loyalty too?"

Ellery's trunk swished back and forth as she thought over the question. "When it comes to deciding if a person is worthy of your loyalty, then I would observe them and see how they act. If they tell a lot of stories, I would make sure to check if they're true."

Tickling the girl's hand with her trunk, Ellery rose up. "I must be going now. Stay steadfast and you'll things changing for the better." With a little bow, the kwami vanished through the walls.

* * *

At the school, the Gorilla was patiently waiting for Adrien to finish fencing practice. The boy had been stressed out the last few days. Worrying his girlfriend was never forgive him for his careless words or perhaps worried on her behalf about her best friend's behavior.

He thought it was funny that as large and intimidating he was, people tended to forget he was there at all. In his youth, he had spoken too much and hadn't listened enough. He would take action to quickly and not observe a situation.

That attitude had landed him in deep trouble, so he changed his ways to be the opposite of how he had been. Quiet, calm, and protective. Because of that change he saw and heard things others missed.

For example, the day he brought his charge over to apologize to his girlfriend, he had witnessed the blogger and liar talking on the steps of the school. He saw how dramatic the liar was and how the blogger fell for the performance.

Then there was the time during a recent photo shoot when his charge's best friend had been allowed to attend, that he overheard something of interest. The boy's girlfriend, who happened to be the blogger, had told him about being bullied by a girl named Malika, before moving to Paris.

He was greatly concerned with what he had witnessed the week before the premier of the movie. While stuck in traffic on his way to pick up Adrien, he happened to glance out the window and see the blogger with the liar sitting at a table sharing drinks.

The liar had told the blogger she could perform stage hypnosis. Eager to see it happen, the girl filmed herself getting hypnotized for fun. While she was in a super relaxed state of mind, the liar had messed with the other girl's phone before ending the hypnosis.

Perhaps it was time for him to speak up again. He didn't want to anything bad to happen to Adrien or his friends. He hadn't spoken out loud besides some grunts for so long could he even speak? He should start practicing speaking again if he wanted to keep his charge safe.


	7. Impatient

Carline Bustier was in the teacher's lounge drinking a cup of coffee. Today was going to be a good day she just knew it. Today she was taking her class on a field trip to Tour Maine-Montparnass, the only skyscraper within the city limits. The students would get a chance to see different architectural designs and learn about the different companies the building housed.

They would then proceed to have their lunch in the restaurant Le Ciel de Paris, located on the fifty sixth floor. Afterward, they would go to the top floor terrace to view the city and answer questions about the building's history.

Ms. Mendievel noticed Carline's good mood and rolled her eyes. "You're pretty perky for someone who has to manage an entire class throughout the day on a field trip. If I were you, I would be already planning how to keep everyone in line starting with the troublemakers."

Bustier laughed and shook her head. "Why do you always insist people are out to make trouble? My class is very well behaved and doesn't get into trouble."

The math and science teacher rolled her eyes. "Yes, they never cause trouble, which is why your entire class has been akumatized or cursed," Mendievel replied sarcastically as she took a sip of her own coffee. Bustier scowled at the comment.

Mendievel raised her hand to stop her fellow teacher from retorting. "I know some of my students have also been akumatized. I can acknowledge that, but my whole class hasn't been.

Unlike yours, my students learn from their mistakes and work harder at being nicer and not letting their emotions get the better of them again. I also keep everyone strictly focused on the curriculum and nip problems at their source."

Bustier set her coffee down and gently pointed out that she also tried to prevent students from being akumatized. "I make sure everyone knows how to do deep breathing exercises and says one nice thing to someone else every day."

Mendievel took another sip of coffee before thinning her lips. "So your proposed solution is to put a bandage over a wound which won't close, hoping it holds? Not the brightest of your ideas Carline."

Bustier looked stunned and hurt. "I'm not trying to do that! My students are a nice group of kids who need a gentle reminder to be kind to others always. That if they respect each other, then they will be respected as well."

"What about Ms. Bourgeois? Until very recently, she was bullying everyone in your class, especially Ms. Dupain-Cheng and you stood by and did nothing. You even accepted a vandalized gift from Dupain-Cheng, when you knew full well that Chloe had to have been behind the vandalism."

Bustier commented there was no proof Chloe had vandalized Marinette's gift. Also, Marinette good example had finally paid off now that Chloe was making changes to her behavior just like she hoped. Aside from talking back to her that one time, Marinette was a model student.

Mendievel disagreed with Bustier's assessment of the situation. Marinette had been an example of how to let a person walk all over someone because if she had stood up for herself that would have made her a "bad" kid.

While she didn't tolerate kids back talking, she grudgingly admitted that Marinette's actions during the one day switch had been appropriate by calling attention to a problem.

"As it is, I was not pleased when Lila switched to your class for a day. That girl is trouble with a capital T. I'm glad Marinette helped get to the bottom of the problem."

"Aren't you exaggerating a little? I know Lila made a mistake…"

Mendievel started straight in Bustier's eyes with so much fury, she stopped talking midsentence. "Lila Rossi is an attention seeker who manipulates people to get what she wants. I have to keep my eyes on her at all times so she doesn't distract from the lesson. You would know that if you ever disciplined a person in your class.

I know we have different teaching styles, I'm very strict and stern, while you're kind and empathetic. Also, we both have our own ways of dealing with problems in our classrooms, but when it comes to disciplining kids, you don't hold the students accountable for their actions. Carline, you're an idealist who thinks if everyone just follows your rules and don't make obvious trouble, then everything is fine.

Reality is vastly different. Right now, Ms. Cesaire is a source of trouble with how poorly she is treating the rest of the class. She has alienated her best friend and I've noticed her hanging out with Ms. Rossi more often.

I've seen the way Lila's eyes spark when she talks about her supposed adventures. A subtle smirk when she's listening to others. The way she carries herself while she's manipulating the words of others to her advantage."

The science and math teacher stood up and poured the rest of her drink down the sink. "If I were you, Carline, I would use today to really look and listen to your students and what they do. You might not like what you find, but at least it will be the truth."

Ms. Bustier pursed her lips and looked down at the table. Mendievel was the meanest teacher on campus. She didn't tolerate any rule breaking and if students messed around in her class, they got extra homework as punishment. The students feared her more than respected her.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about. My style works just fine and my students don't have any underlying problems," she reassured herself as she entered her classroom to take roll call.

When she asked the students to partner up for the field trip, she noticed Alya was glaring angrily at Marinette before giving everyone else, save her boyfriend, the same look. Shaking it off as a coincidence she led the class to the bus.

Ms. Bustier tried to keep Mendievel's voice out of her head as she led the students on the tour of the building. While she was talking about the history of the building and the simplistic design, she felt something was missing during her lecture.

It clicked a few seconds later as she was leading them to the first company's office what was missing. She was used to the sound of Alya on her phone, either taking pictures or checking up on her blog. The blogger actually looked incredibly irritated she had to stand next to Marinette as they rode the elevator up.

When they got off the elevator Alya pushed her way through the crowd, dragging poor Nino with her. She ignored the annoyed looks aimed at her. It seemed Ms. Mendievel was right. Something was up with Alya.

* * *

A teenage girl opened her eyes and looked around. She was dressed in a ladybug themed outfit. On the wall opposite of her was a picture drawn in crayon. It was a drawing of a peace sign next to a zookeeper with an arrow drawn to a laptop.

"Who are you?" a teenage boy voiced.

She spun around and yelped, "AH! Who are you?" she asked the boy, who was dressed in a cat costume. "AH! Who is she?" the girl asked pointing to a young woman in some kind of strange costume/uniform. Around her neck was a strange charm necklace.

"I don't know who I am or who she is! Do you know who you are?"

The girl shook her head, "I have a strong feeling we know each other and her. Maybe she knows what's going on?"

Their jewelry started beeping and in a flash, their costumes disappeared and they were in civilian clothes. Two strange little creatures came out of the jewelry. "bAh giant bugs!"

"I'm not a bug, I'm a…I don't know what I am, but I'm hungry," the pink one said

"Me too! I feel like I'm starving!" the black one said.

The woman stirred as she pushed herself up. "What in the world is going on?" she said. Well, that's what they thought she said as each word came out in a different language.

The woman blinked a few times before realizing she was not alone. Now that she was sitting upright, it was clear to see two of her charms matched the weird creatures. There had to be some connection between all of them.

"Do you know…" the teen girl started to ask when something started pounding on the roof of the elevator. It started to give way as the elevator itself started to shake and tremble, slipping down the shaft.

The woman sprang into action. She looked up and seemed confused by what she saw, nevertheless, she took charge. "My mask has detected some kind of energy source above us and I surmise we don't want to meet it. We need to get out of here now."

"But the doors are stuck and I don't think we're strong enough to open them!" the teenage girl exclaimed.

The woman spotted the two creatures. "You two, you have a similar energy aura around you. See if there's anything you can do the get that door open."

"Right away!"

"If we have to."

Seconds later the trio of humans were out the door and running for their lives. They reached the lobby only to discover they were trapped inside. The teenage boy asked what they should do now.

"You four hide in the bathroom now! Whoever is after us will be here in two minutes. I intend to slow it down!"

The teenagers and the strange creatures hurried to the bathroom on the other side of the lobby. The woman reached into her belt and pulled out two metallic spheres. Without knowing why, her body reacted on its own, as it placed one sphere up against the elevator and the other against the door to the stairwell.

She pressed the button on top and was surprised to see hardening foam come out of the spheres and cover the doors. It would take a bit of time to force open the doors to get out into the lobby. She took off across the lobby, jumping over the damage with ease before entering the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

"We know who we are now, at least our names. I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng and this is Adrien Agreste. Do you have an identity card on you?"

"I don't believe so, let me check." None of her pouches had an identity card in them. "I may not know my name, but it seems my muscle memory is intact. I was able to perform a complex task by sheer instinct."

She looked around the room and then at the other two. "You can identify where we are and what the objects are in here correct?"

Adrien nodded his head. He held up his phone and explained he knew what it was and how to use it, but not his password to unlock it. Marinette also pointed out that they could talk and comprehend the situation they were in, but couldn't remember how they got here.

The woman tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It seems that we have a specific type of amnesia. We remember general things and understand what's happening around us so we can respond. However, any specific memories tied to us personally are out of our reach," she cogitated out loud as the teenagers and creatures paid strict attention to what she was saying.

"Our enemy is responsible for this and is highly driven to either capture us or kill us. This person is capable of taking our memories and possess a unique strength backed up by a powerful energy source making the enemy capable of enhancing his/her normal abilities.

Given the situation, we have three options. We can hide and pray the enemy doesn't find us, call for help while looking for a way out, and lastly, we can confront this enemy and defeat this person."

The teenagers and creatures were impressed by this young woman's ability to breakdown, assess, and determine the best course of action without any memories of the situation.

Just then they heard a loud banging as the floor shook beneath their feet. The pink creature stuck her head out the door and then flew back towards them. "The hardening foam is starting to give way. We can't stay here."

"Should we make a run for the stairs?" Adrien asked as he took hold of Marinette's hand, ready to help her run.

The black creature shook his head and pointed out it was too risky considering the group would be out in the open. They needed to be sneaky and think about an alternate route. Marinette spotted a vent above one of the stalls.

It looks a bit tapered, but we should be able to scuttle through it. Even the mysterious woman with us. If we can get up higher in the building, maybe we'll find something to help us get out of here.

They escaped into the vent just in time as the enemy broke into the bathroom. As they were crawling through the vent, the young woman grabbed her head for a few seconds grunting softly.

Seeing her distress, the pink creature touched the young woman's hand and gently tugged it. Getting the message, she picked up the pace until they reached another vent cover.

The little creatures detached the cover and the humans slid out and hurried into an office. Catching their breath the two teens reached for their phones again when the adult sternly told them to put those away.

Confused, the teens moaned only for them to shut up when the woman said she remembered a few things in the vent. "I don't know why some of my memories came back, but I do know my name and what our mission is."

"You do? What is it?" Adrien asked excitedly.

"My name is Peace Keeper. You two are superheroes who are supposed to be stopping the villain chasing us. The Guardian, an old man with a creature similar to a turtle, told me to provide backup for you."

Marinette's eyes went wide as she remembered what she saw on the elevator wall. "Do you have a laptop with you? I left a message on the elevator wall to ask you about it."

Peace Keeper patted her pockets and went over her entire suit. When she touched her right wristband/gauntlet, it instantly turned on the microcomputer. On the screen was a locked file waiting to be opened.

"Great. A file you need a password for. Please tell me you remember what the password is," the black creature moaned.

Peace Keeper didn't. Out of habit, she stroked the necklace. Quickly she took it off to look at the charms. She typed in LCTBFBP and the file open. It was a video with instructions under it. She turned the volume to low and pressed play.

The video was of herself on a rooftop. In the background, she saw purplish blobs being fired at fast moving streaks of red and black on the building they were currently trapped in.

"Hello Peace Keeper, if you're viewing this then you figured out the code. The Great Guardian felt that with your edict memory and ability to control the suppression of certain memories that the Akuma Oblivo's power would not be able to take away every one of your memories."

A picture of the kids and the creatures popped up with their names next to them. "You need to find these two kids and make sure they have their Kwamiis with them. The Kwamiis are the source of the magic needed to help the teenagers become heroes again. They can't do that unless they're fed first. Tikki likes cookies and Plagg loves cheese. Once they're powered up they need to say their transformation phrases."

Those words were highlighted next to the pictures. Next was a step by step instruction list about how to access the emergency users' guide so they could access their powers and familiarize themselves with the magic enhancements of their skills.

"The charms on the necklace are related to the Kwamiis. By saying the kwami's power out loud, you are given a tenth of their strength. I suggest using Wayzz's charm. He's the turtle. To use the charm, concentrate very hard on the bond between charm and yourself.

It doesn't matter if you recall it or not as long as you believe in it. When you feel filled up say the words Shell Guard and a force field will appear around you and any allies you have close. The force field will only last as long as you can power it.

Working together the five of you can successfully defeat Oblivio and restore Paris to normal. Be careful and trust your instincts and muscle memory."

Peace Keeper shut down the file and gazed at the others in the room. They had looks of determination on their faces. "Before you two transform, we need to convince Oblivio we're in another office after the Akuma check this one."

"How do we do that?" Tikki asked.

"I think I have an idea. Let's get busy."

About fifteen minutes later Oblivio, who was actually Alya and Nino merged together, was defeated. Peace Keeper made her escape before Alya realized she was there. When the kids got back on the bus Alya said nothing about what led to their akumanzation and Nino shrugged his shoulders and inclined his head towards his girlfriend.

Clearly whatever happened was between those two was a private matter and Nino wanted space to work it out. Both Marinette and Adrien hoped Nino could figure out what was wrong with their friend and her out of character behavior.

* * *

When Alya arrived home after the disastrous field trip, she stormed into her room and threw her backpack on her bed. "I can't believe this. I was akumatized again and it's all Marinette's fault!"

Right before Nino and she got akumatized together, Nino had been trying to make Alya see common sense by showing her pictures of the "good" times with Marinette on his phone.

She had scowled and had grabbed his phone trying to pull it out of his hands. She had wanted to forget all those times Marinette faked being her friend, just like Malika did and Nino had wanted her to forget about being angry at Marinette for something someone else did. That's when they got fused together.

"I'm sick to death of hearing about Marinette! She's just like Malika, pretending to be nice only to hide how mean she can actually be."

She sat down at her desk and started typing away, writing an article to post online describing Marinette as a bully. All she needed was some footage and everything would be ready to upload.

Her phone chimed indicating a time alert. Wondering what she had forgotten she looked at her phone. A few seconds later she put it down and started uploading footage from it "I don't have time to wait for Marinette to make a mistake. I'll just edit some videos together and post this. Everyone will love it!"

"Alya Bernadette Cesare, have you lost your mind?" a deep voice asked from her doorway.

The girl flinched and turned to see her father standing in the doorway. His arms were crossed and there was a scowl on his face. He strolled past his daughter, who protested there was nothing to see on her computer and read what she had been writing.

His fast turned red in anger as he curled his hands into fists. He looked at Alya as if he had never seen her before. He even took his glasses off his head and put them on properly and blinked a few times as if to make sure Alya was real.

"Dad, I can explain…"

"What is there to explain Alya? You were about to post a fake report about your best friend, as well as an edited video, to ruin your friend's reputation," he hissed causing Alya to curl into herself. "For the life of me, I can't understand why!"

Alya's expression morphed into one of rage. "Marinette's not my friend anymore! My classmates are no longer my friends and I'm even thinking I should break up with Nino, considering he wants me to forget Marinette is just like Malika. They're all liars and bullies and I intend to expose them!"

Otis was flabbergasted by the words coming out of his middle child's mouth. It sounded like she was possessed and someone else was speaking for her. It was disturbing to him how drastically Alya had changed these last few weeks.

* * *

He knew the bullying she endured had been harsh, but he'd met everyone in her class and he knew, aside from Chloe, that none of them were like Malika. One of the reasons they had come to Paris was to help Alya start off fresh.

The year before they moved from Martinique to France, Alya had been doing well in school and had been best friends with a girl name Malika Armstrong for the past two years.

When a new male student arrived in the class, Alya had introduced herself and asked if the person wanted to be friends, but the new student didn't want to even shake her hand.

As the year went on people began to gossip about her behind her back or pull pranks on her. Malika was by Alya's side through it all until two months before the end of the school year.

Alya had been waiting for Malika to go to the movies with. She had then spotted Malika hanging out with the newcomer. She had rushed up to see her friend but was shocked when both of them told her to get lost and said hurtful things to her face.

It turned out Malika had been going behind her back during their entire friendship spreading gossip about her and making fun of her dream to be a journalist. She admitted to using Alya at times to help her with homework to boost her grades.

The fallout had been very ugly. When both Otis and his wife had been offered jobs in Paris, they immediately took up the offer and researched good schools to send their daughters to so none of them would have to face something this horrible again.

Now Alya was acting like her former bully and Otis didn't know what to do. "Alya, are you sure about what you've written is true? Did you do proper research?"

Again, Alya's face turned into one of rage. "Research? Why should I do research when I know the truth? They're all out to get me and I need to show the world that Marinette is the worst of them."

Otis jaw dropped in disbelief. This was not the girl who wanted to be a journalist one day. He knew she was impulsive and her impatience was her fatal flaw when it came to doing her blog. Alya had been getting better about checking sources and following professional journalist ethics. Presently, she was backsliding pretty far.

He knew what he had to do and it would make Alya furious with him. He didn't have a choice though. Until he found out was causing his daughter's crazy behavior and her impatient choices to do something wrong, he had to keep her off the internet.

"Give me your phone Alya," he told her sternly as he held out his hand for it.

"Why? It's mine! I paid for it and a majority of the cell bill!" Alya shrieked him as she held a protective grip on her phone.

"Because of this moment, you are not allowed to have access to any social media or talk to anyone because you are grounded. Your Internet privileges are revoked. If you need to use the computer for school, you will have your mother, Nora, or I present to monitor your activity."

As he anticipated Alya went into a frenzy. "Grounded? No social media? Monitoring my activities? You can't do this to me!"

Marcela came into the bedroom demanding to know what all the yelling was about. When her husband explained what Alya was going to do and why he was punishing her, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Is all this true Alya? What on earth would possess you to do something so repugnant? Is this why your friends are coming over anymore?"

"They're not my friends, they're out to get me!" the teenager retorted. She didn't even seem to be aware of how she was treating everyone. Her parents looked at each other silently agreeing on the full scope of her punishment.

"Your father is right taking your phone, Internet privileges and grounding you. Until you stop acting like this and talk to us about what is really going on all the things we said will remain indefinitely.

You're to come home every lunch hour and straight home after school. We're giving all of Nora's times to babysit the twins to you. You are not permitted to contact anyone on the phone or go out. Your allowance is also suspended until further notice."

Alya continued to protest and yell at her parents, but it accomplished nothing. They took her computer, phone, anything she could use to connect to the Internet or communicate with before locking her into her room until it was time for dinner.

Alya threw herself on her bed and started throwing a tantrum and shouting how unfair the world was. One way or another she was going to get her revenge on everyone.

If she had looked out of her window, she might have spotted Lila across the street, wearing a big floppy hat to hide the haughty look her face as she looked down at her cell phone conceitedly.

* * *

It was the third day into her grounding and Alya was fuming in her bedroom and the teenager was hitting her pillow again and again. Her homework was strewn across the floor untouched. She was actually growling at her door because once again, she was locked in by one of her parents to ensure she didn't go anywhere or try everything.

"This is unlawful imprisonment! I hate you, I hate you!"

Outside on her windowpane two Kwamiis sat observing her. Trixx fur stood up as she looked at Cammie with concern in her eyes.

"I told you something was wrong with her. My instincts are never wrong when it comes to my cubs. Someone's played a mean trick on her and I don't know how to undo it."

"Indeed. I can sense it too. If she's to remain your wielder, then we must intervene now. We're lucky the Guardian was willing to let you out for this mission."

"Let me talk to her first, see if I can figure out what the problem is. When it's safe I'll signal you." The camel kwami nodded as Trixx entered the room. Alya had her back still turned away and instead of hitting the pillow she looked like she was trying to rip it in two. "How's my favorite cub?" she called out.

Instantly, everything changed about Alya. She was no longer radiating hate, her body relaxed, and when she spoke it was filled with enthusiasm. She reached out and embraced the kwami happily.

"Trixx! What are you doing here? Is Ladybug in trouble? Does she need Rene Rouge's help?"

The tiny fox shook her head. "Ladybug's not the one in trouble, _you_ are." Her purple eyes staring straight into Alya's hazel ones with concern.

"What would give her that idea? Does Ladybug know me outside of costume?! I wish I could go to interview her right now, but I'm grounded."

Trixx nuzzled the girl and licked her. "I know and that's part of the reason I'm here. We've bonded so I can sense to an extent what you are feeling and acting like from time to time." The little vixen looked down at the floor for a moment, her tail drooping in sadness.

Alya petted Trixx's head in a soothing motion as she sat back down on her bed. "What have I been doing that has both you and Ladybug concerned?"

Trixx fiddled with her hand/paws anxiously. "You've been so angry at the world lately. Have you ever lashed out at your family with such hateful words before? What were you thinking when you were about to post lies online about your classmates? You claim your best friend betrayed you, but from what I've sensed you did the betraying first."

Alya's face morphed into an expression of rage. "Now wait just a minute! You have no right to scold me! If you can sense my feelings then you know they're bullies, especially Marinette. She's exactly like Malika!"

Trixx levitated out of Alya's hands and pressed her hand/paws against her forehead. She started glowing orange as she pushed her power into the girl's mind.

"Alya, think back hard. When did you start feeling and thinking this way? Concentrate on your memories. Can you think of one instance where anyone in your class has acted like Malika?"

The teenager felt Trixx's power making its way through her mind. Invisible walls around her memories evaporated. Examining them it felt as if there were two movie reels being watched. One was the genuine deal and the other appeared to be badly edited together.

Pulling off her glasses, the girl rubbed her eyes several times before putting them back on. "Trixx, what just happened?"

"I temporarily removed the illusions someone placed in your mind. I can't undo completely because I'm not sure what happened to you. All I know is that your mind has been messed with."

If Alya was comprehending Trixx correctly, her clear headed thinking wouldn't stay permanent until she figured out who had messed with her mind. "Trixx, I remember everything clearly now. How did this happen to me?"

"I wish I knew cub, I wish I knew. What I do know is whatever caused this most likely happened because of your fatal flaw. You're so impatient to be the first to know about a story developing or rushing into some crazy scheme of yours without taking all the variables into consideration."

Trixx turned her head and gestured with her tail for Cammie to come in. Alya's eyes widened as Trixx introduced her "cousin" and why she was here.

Cammie sat down on a bedpost as took a look at Trixx's temporary wielder. "So, you want to be a journalist Alya."

"Yes! I'm passionate about writing stories about current events. I want to bring the truth to the people who read my work. I want to tackle international stories and make a difference in the world."

Cammie nodded and asked to see some examples of Alya's work. The blogger confessed most of her stuff was on her phone or computer, but she did have a few paper drafts of stories she was considering to pursue. The kwami read them carefully and settled back down. "You are an impressive writer. Excellent grammar, word choice, and the articles are written in a clear manner to explain what the article is about."

Alya smiled at the praise before settling herself to hear the criticism. "I don't think there's a problem with your writing. I think you could do better at investigating and researching your topic. I'm not seeing any notes on verification of sources, fact checking interviews before posting, and your ideas for pursuing a story are not legal in some cases."

"I know I've skimmed on certain aspects of journalism, but when your filming live there isn't time to do that."

Cammie acknowledged that was true. If she was uploading live to her blog that made sense. The kwami of Patience then brought up that very few of Alya's after events stories had been verified to be the truth.

"To be a good journalist, you have to have patience. How are you making a difference if what you post live isn't the truth? Making assumptions is a dangerous thing to do Alya.

For example, I found a reference to a story you want to work on. A follow up to an interview you took of a Ms. Rossi after she attacked Ladybug on Heroes Day. What I couldn't find, was any notes about why it needed a follow up."

Alya launched into an explanation of how Lila had nearly killed Ladybug by accident because of the scarlet akumas leaving her confused and half out of her mind. She wanted to write up about the aftereffects related to the scarlet akumanzation and how they differed from a regular one.

Both Cammie and Trixx reminded she had been there when Lila had attacked Ladybug. From her own observations, it had been clear to her Lila was in full control of her actions, but when Lila claimed differently, the journalist had been too eager to believe it.

"There's a reason they tell you to look before you leap. If you do, you're less likely to get hurt." Trixx flew over to her cousin and told her cub they had to go. She was hopeful she would see Alya again soon.

The teenager watched them go sadly. Not knowing how long her mind was going to stay clear, she sat down at her desk and started to write a long letter to herself.

* * *

At Master Fu's place, the Great Guardian was waiting anxiously for Ning to return with Trixx and Cammie. Having so many active Kwamiis was starting to give him a migraine. What would the Order think if they were still here?

Well, if he was honest they would put the needs of the world over the Kwamiis desires. The powers of the Kwamiis were amazing and awe inspiring, but for them to be used properly they needed an equal partnership with a human. The Order hadn't always remembered this fact.

The door opened and Ulyana aka Ning came inside the residence. As soon as the door was locked, out popped Trixx and Cammie, the former looking extremely worried.

She hurried over and let out a long yip. "It seems Marinette and you had a right to be worried about my wielder. I sensed someone placed an illusion in her mind, but I wasn't able to determine what it was or who had done it."

"This is indeed troubling. We must find out what is going on. If Hawkmoth has discovered who Rene Rouge is then he might also have discovered Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities."

"I doubt this has anything to do with Hawkmoth," Ning stated calmly. "I've been working on developing the skills to sense spiritual energy. I'm familiar with his energy and I can tell you it wasn't his mixing with Alya's."

Trixx was relieved to hear this. If she had lost a wielder to Hawkmoth she would have been disconsolate. "Please, you have to look into it further. I don't want to wake up to a new wielder so soon."

The great Guardian assured her they would do their best to help Alya. "It is time for you to return to dormancy Trixx, as well as the Humanities Circle."

Honorra's tail feathers drooped upon hearing this. She had gotten used to having her siblings around the last few weeks. Their love for her had helped her recover the energy she lost when she had transformed Juleka.

She still had months of recovery to do before it was safe for her to go into dormancy or enter her Miraculous without the worry of becoming incorporeal once more.

I guess I have to get use to just having Wayzz around again, with the occasional visit from Tikki and Plagg. I know it's for our safety and I agree with the potential danger if my siblings stay out much longer. It doesn't change the fact I'm going to be sad.

Gigi noticed Honorra's sadness and gave her "sister" a hug. She tickled the magpie under the chin with her tail making Honorra's smile. "I know you're sad about us going back to sleep. I know I would be if I was the one that had to stay awake while we slept."

Stuffo, Huhu, and Socco assured her they would be together again soon. The time would pass so quickly she would wish it lasted longer. Bukku, Ellery, and Cammie came over hiding something behind their backs.

Ellery tapped Honorra on the shoulder with her trunk. "We know it will be very hard for you while we are resting in our Miraculouses."

"We also know your belief outweighs your patience," Cammie commented.

"So we made you a present," Bukku told her as they all presented Honorra with her gift. It was a tiny glass bead on a bit of thread strung through to make it into a tiny necklace.

The tiny bead was clear except for a small rainbow dot inside. If you looked askance hard you could see the dot pulsating in time with the kwami's little heartbeat.

"Is this what I think it is?" Honorra asked quietly as she eyed at the sparkly bead.

Her "siblings" nodded. "A tiny bit of our essences. If your power is needed in the fight against Hawkmoth, then you can safely enter your Miraculous seven times, one for each tiny bit of essences trapped inside the bead," Ellery explained.

"Remember to use it wisely. If you try entering your Miraculous again without being fully recovered, I don't think you'll make it a second time," Wayzz spoke up from across the room.

Master Fu had the Miraculous Book in his hand and Ning was holding the Miraculous Chest. Inside, the Humanities Circle's Miraculouses gleamed after a fresh cleaning. It was time to say goodbye.

Honorra leaned on Wayzz's shoulder as her siblings took their places above their Miraculouses. Master Fu started chanting as the Kwamiis got sucked into their Miraculouses. Closing the Chest, Ning took it back into the bedroom and lock it up inside the safe.

By the time Ning returned, Trixx was also back in her Miraculous and Honorra was sitting by computer silently eating a rice ball while Wayzz gave her some space.

* * *

The next afternoon, Gorilla left Adrien at his fencing lesson. He drove the limo over to the blogger's home. He had been there a few times before when he would drop off Adrien and the boy's friend to do things with the blogger girl.

Parking the limo, he climbed the steps and entered the building. Soon he was outside the door to the blogger's apartment. He moistened his lips and cleared his throat. If there was ever a time to speak up, it was now. He knocked on the door and waited for it to be answered.

Mrs. Cesare looked through the peephole to see who it was. Her eyes widened upon seeing who it was. She didn't see Adrien or Nino with the man so she wondered why the Gorilla was here.

Opening the door, she looked at the man. "Can I help you, Mr. Go, I'm sorry I don't know your name and I think it would be rude to call you by the nickname the children call you by. How should I address you?"

The man moved his lips and tried to speak. At first, what came out was a grunt. He tried again and another grunt came out and he coughed. Remembering what Alya told her about the man not speaking, she went back into the apartment and fetched a glass of water for the man.

After drinking the whole glass the Gorilla tried again. "Thank you for the water. My name is Gerald Gorille. If you want to address me as Gorilla, its fine," the man said in a raspy voice. Clearly, it had been a very long time since he talked.

She let the gentlemen enter and they sat down together at the table. "What brings you here Mr. Gorille? I noticed Adrien isn't with you nor Nino. Even if they were here with you, I wouldn't let them see Alya while she's grounded."

"I have come because I have some information about your daughter. I see a lot of things when I'm waiting for Adrien. I think you should see this video I took when I was waiting in traffic a few weeks ago."

Curious, she watched the video. What she witnessed filled her with red hot anger. How dare that girl hurt her Alya! "Do you have any other videos? Anything else you might have witnessed?"

"One or two more. I don't usually film events with my phone unless the people in them know Adrien. I want to make sure he's safe with his friends. From what I have seen when I drop him off, your daughter has been spending a lot of time with the other girl.

According to Adrien, the other girl has lied to him before and can be very manipulative if she wants something. I would be happy to give you the videos. I'm sure you can use them to help find justice for your daughter."

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I assure you this problem will be resolved. Until it has, would you not bring Adrien or Nino over? I don't want them to get involved in this matter until after a solution has been found."

"I understand. I hope you have a nice day Mrs. Cesare." The Gorilla departed to return to the school, while Mrs. Cesare called her husband's cell. It was time to put an end to Ms. Rossi's cruel tricks.


	8. Self-Worth

Lila was in her room listening to music while doing her homework. Today had been pretty good at school. She had efficaciously managed to get a perfect score on a pop quiz by watching the movements of her classmates while they wrote.

Then she had managed to convince a classmate to pay for her lunch when she and a group of kids went out to eat. Lastly, she had managed to get more gossip about what was going on with Ms. Bustier's class thanks to her pet Alya.

It was amusing how susceptible she was too hypnotic suggestions. All she needed to do was send a text or wait for her phone to alert Alya when it was time to get more information or have her act out. Alya was her instrument into destroying Marinette's confidence.

There's no way I'll be caught. Sure, lying about Marinette was the key to getting Alya on my side. When I couldn't do that any more stage hypnosis was the perfect way to go.

There was some hard thumping on her door. "What is it?" she called out in a snarky voice.

"Lila, you are wanted downstairs in the dining room by your parents. They looked pretty angry," her cousin Tod informed her through the door.

Lila rolled her eyes. She swore if this was a prank by her cousin, she was going to make his love life suffered. She left her family suite and was escorted by Tod to the dining room.

When she got there, she was surprised to see Alya with her folks and they had harsh looks on their faces. Sitting across from them Lila's own parents looked chagrinned and angry. She best step lightly here.

"Alya, it's so great to see you. So these must be your parents. I've heard a lot about you and I have to admit I'm impressed by your career paths."

Alya glared at Lila. "Please stop pretending Lila. I can't take it anymore."

"Pretending? Why would I pretend to not be interested in what one my friend's parents do for a living?"

The Cesare's' faces turned an angry shade of red. You could feel the hostility in the air. Lila's own parents were also emitting their emotions in the air.

"Lila, SIT DOWN NOW." her father instructed her in his business tone. A clear indication he was not to be messed with at this moment. She did as instructed and tried to not look afraid.

Oliva Rossi looked at her daughter with a lot of disappointment and hurt in her eyes. "The Cesare's came over to show us a few videos someone took while you were out with your "friend" Alya here. Imagine our surprise when we viewed them and saw what you had been doing to Alya."

The video played on her mom's phone and it showed Lila and Alya at the café. In the video, Lila was telling Alya about her ability to do stage hypnosis. The video clearly showed Lila using stage hypnosis on Alya and what she was saying was loud and clear.

"Alright Alya, I want you to snort like a warthog. Can you do that?"

"SNORT! Snore snort snore!" Alya imitated the animal.

Lila laughed and then asked, "You can stop acting like a warthog now. Stay relax and calm. Your inhibitions have been lowered. Please try to whistle the French National Anthem."

Alya managed to get halfway through the song before she was asked to stop. "Okay, it's time for the big one. You have a lot of anger towards your former bully Malika. Tell me what you wanted to say to her okay?"

The video showed Alya going on a rant and saying a few rude words. While she was doing this, Lila was messing with Alya's phone, setting up an alarm time and a reminder in the memo pad.

"Alright Alya, whenever you hear this alarm, check your memo for the reminder to be able to say all those things about Malika anytime to the person in front of you. When I snap my fingers you'll come out of this state of relaxation and you'll ask to see the video."

The rest of the video showed Lila and Alya looking at the video of the first two commands, but not the last before they went in opposite directions. "There are two more short videos of you listening to what Alya told other people and laughing about it. The question is why?"

Lila quickly thought of a way to spin this to minimize the trouble she was in. "Alya wanted to know if I could do stage hypnosis and used it on her with her permission. The last suggestion was supposed to be a funny joke."

"A joke? You think what you did was a _joke_, Lila? Do you realize what you did, is considered a crime? That you were emotionally abusing Alya and making her act out in harmful ways which someone might have gotten really hurt? That is not a _joke._"

"You can't make anyone do anything they don't want to do under hypnosis," Lila reminded everyone seated there. Alya and her folks looked affronted by what the teenager said.

She pushed on quickly by adding "Dad taught me that when he was teaching me the party trick. Whatever Alya said was because she wanted to and I just gave her way to express herself."

"Then why did you hide the fact you left a suggestion in her mind? You went as far as setting up a trigger device to remind her to do this several times Lila. You should have undone it immediately or not at all!" Vino bellowed at her.

Lila looked at her parents and the Cesare's contritely. "I didn't mean for this to go so far. I would have undone it when I saw Alya next." Lila reached out for Alya's hand as she continued to speak. "I'm sorry Alya. I did a terrible thing to you. How can I make it up to you?"

Alya smacked Lila's hand away. There were angry tears in her eyes. "Make this up to me? You think saying you're sorry and doing something for me means I should forgive you for lying and tricking me!

My reputation as a journalist has been damaged. My actions hurt my friends and my teacher gave me detention for interrupting the field trip. I had my phone and computer taken away. I lost the respect of my parents and sisters.

I can't trust myself anymore so I'm being enrolled in therapy! I hate you, Lila! I hate you!"

Alya slouched backward in her chair and cried. While Marcela calmed her daughter down, Otis started talking to the Rossi adults. "My wife and I were ready to file a lawsuit, have your child arrested and expelled over this. The law is on our side."

"We understand Mr. Cesare. Whatever you want to do our daughter and we will comply," Vino assured the man. He wasn't making any excuses for Lila. He was being a good parent by letting her face her punishment.

"As I was saying, we were going to go through all that and we agreed Alya should decide what actions we should take."

Alya was still crying and couldn't speak so Marcela handed over a document to the Italian parents. They looked it over and found everything in it to be reasonable.

With no proof Lila did anything to Alya on school grounds, they couldn't have her suspended or expelled. Instead, they wanted Lila to stay away from Alya and that statements of her actions would be added to her file and the teachers and staff alerted to the situation.

They had lodged a formal complaint with the police. Lila would have to be presented before a judge. She would probably have to do two hundred hours of community service and pay monetary compensation to help pay for Alya's therapy.

They also wanted Lila to have some form of punishment at home. Mr. and Mrs. Rossi assured the Cesare's, Lila would be facing harsh consequences for her actions.

She was grounded for two months, have her phone and computer taken away, and she had to do all her chores and her cousins' for the next month without getting an allowance.

On top of that, this was considered strike one against her. Two more strikes and they would follow through with disinheritance and barring her from working at the company.

She was also going to start seeing a therapist herself to help her stop her behavior and lying. Also, to make sure she actually went and told the truth, a family member would be accompanying her to each session.

Lila couldn't believe this was happening to her. She had been so careful and now had lost her best chance at breaking up Marinette and Adrien.

There was no way to spin what Alya would say in a positive light for her. Not only that, her family was actually following up on their threats. Her popularity would take a bit hit.

This is the worst day of my life she thought.

* * *

Across the city, Ning was preparing for her return to New York tomorrow. Her partial success in her mission to the country of Ukraine had helped with keeping the situation stable.

Now she was wanted back so she could get a new extensive training program to prepare her for whatever her next mission would be. "My new routine will have me reviewing weapons use, extra exercises such as rock climbing barehanded, and of course my diet's going to be changed. They want me to put on a tiny bit of muscle," she explained to Master Fu as she packed her suitcase.

"To make you stronger for your next mission?" he asked kindly.

Ning nodded her head. "I was lucky in Ukraine no one attacked me and I had the Kwami Charms with me. Next time, I might not be so lucky." Wiping the sweat off her forehead she asked, "How much longer until the adoption is final?"

"I'm hoping the papers come in sometime this week. It would be nice to have a small celebration in honor of the occasion." He looked at Ning with affection and she blushed.

"AKUMA ATTACK! WE NEED TO GO NOW!" Honorra shouted as she phased into the guest bedroom. Her feathers were askew and her eyes were super wide. Her paw/hands were moving nonstop. "WE ARE NEEDED NOW! MY WIELDER IS IN TROUBLE!"

"Calm down Honorra, please. Start from the beginning and explain why your wielder would need you?"

Honorra quickly explained what she had seen on tablet twenty minutes earlier. How Bob Roth had held a fake contest so his son XY could steal other artists work for his own. That the song and look he had stolen belonged to the band Kitty Section, the one Juleka was in and the outfits Marinette had designed.

She then mentioned that before the camera feed had cut out, she had seen an Akuma called Silencer who had taken XY's voice and she felt Juleka's emotions turn to fear and panic because the Akuma was her brother Luka.

"Please, if Silencer has managed to steal any more voices, it will cause serious trouble for our heroes, especially if he manages to steal both their voices."

They couldn't let that happen. Ning was still learning about the spells to assist wielders with disabilities and Fu didn't have time to take the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses to modify them.

Understanding the situation, Fu quickly fetched Honorra's Miraculous. "Go quickly. Honorra's powers should be able to counter the disadvantage if either Ladybug or Chat Noir lost their voices. Be careful."

* * *

The agent and kwami quickly made their way to the TV station. Upon arriving at the right studio, they found Juleka trying to use Ladybug's yo-yo to contact Chat Noir about what happened to Ladybug. Ladybug herself was pacing as she tried to get a sound out, but nothing came. Her voice was gone.

Juleka snapped the yo-yo closed when she heard someone entering the room. Upon seeing who it was, she relaxed a little remembering where she had seen her before. "I know you. You're the woman from Heroes Day. Are you here to help?"

Peace Keeper nodded and asked what had happened. Juleka explained that she had snuck into the building after seeing Silencer on the big TV. She had instantly recognized her brother and had rushed up to the studio to try to stop him.

By the time she got there, Silencer was gone and Ladybug was in the studio trying to find something that might have recorded her voice since Silencer stole hers.

"There's nothing here with her voice on it and we can't figure out how to find and see if there's any archived footage of her calling on her power. I tried to call Chat Noir to request his help, but he's not picking up."

"Most likely he isn't transformed right now. We need to move fast before Silencer steals even more voices and finds the target of his anger. We'll need your help Juleka or should I say, Kkachi," Peace Keeper said as she held out the box containing Honorra's Miraculous.

Honorra flew out of one of Peace Keeper's belt pouches and hovered in front of Juleka. "Let's do this Juleka. Let's save your brother!"

Juleka only hesitated for a few seconds before she put the headband on and called out the transformation phrase, "Collecting Items." A few seconds later Kkachi was standing there ready to go.

The trio split up once outside. Ladybug went in search of her partner while Peace Keeper tracked down the location of Bob Roth to protect him, and Kkachi went to find Silencer and keep track of him until they were ready to cleanse him.

Kkachi used her wingsuit to gain the height needed for her to scan the city for any sign of Silencer. Mentally, she went over in her head what she knew about the dishonest music producer and who he might go to if he was in trouble.

This jerk likes poaching other people's work and having big friends to elevate his ego. His biggest friend would be Mayor Bourgeois. I should head to City Hall.

Angling her wingsuit to catch the breeze she glided over to City Hall. Very carefully, she landed on the building near the base of the flag tower. Her footing slipped and she started to slide down but managed to get a grip on the shingles.

Carefully, she inched across the roof until she reached the mayor's office. Strangely, the deputy mayor was working in there talking to some of her assistants. They were going over some details for a project.

Pursuing her lips, she inched further across and peeked inside the deputy mayor's office. She clamped her mouth shut as she got her first really good look at her brother's Akuma form.

He had blue skin and was wearing a pink, black and yellow-ish outfit with a jagged mouth on the helmet covering his head. When he moved his hands she heard XY and Ladybug's voices being used to communicate.

"Thanks to your voice, I'll be able to force Bob Roth to admit he stole Kitty Section's music and Marinette's costume designs. You should get better friend Mayor Bourgeois. I'm sure one day Bob Roth will turn on you," Silencer stated using the Mr. Bourgeois own voice to taunt him.

Silencer was heading for the window as Kkachi quickly pulled herself out of his line of sight. He looked around to check if Ladybug or Chat Noir were watching him. Seeing nothing, he made his way back to the studio.

The grip of her saber vibrated quickly. Touching the base as a small screen lit up. It was Chat Noir and she could see Ladybug was with him. "Kkachi, it's nice to be working with you again."

Ladybug tapped her foot impatiently and Chat gave her his trademark grin. "Right, I'm up to date on the latest Akuma. Peace Keeper contacted me a few minutes ago saying she saw Officer Raincomprix handcuff Mr. Roth and is driving him to the studio. You have eyes on Silencer?"

"Yes, he's heading to the studio. He wants to force Mr. Roth to admit to what he did on live TV. He's also stolen Mayor Bourgeois' voice to fool Officer Raincomprix into bringing Roth to him."

"Meet up with us at the studio. We need to figure out a plan." Chat Noir signed off as Kkachi hurried back to the TV station. She landed on the roof next to her fellow superheroes, save Peace Keeper.

Chat Noir quickly explained what the plan was. "Peace Keeper's going to grab Roth and stash him somewhere in the building. We need you to keep Silencer busy long enough for me to assist Ladybug in creating a fake Lucky Charm," he said as he glanced at his partner making sure he was conveying the plan correctly.

"Once we're ready, lead him to us so I can trick him into using My Lady's voice to call a real Lucky Charm. After she has that we work together to defeat Silencer. Can you do that?"

Kkachi hesitated a few seconds, but a look of resolve came over her face. "You can count on me. I promise." Kkachi jumped off the roof and glided around the building until she saw an open window.

* * *

Slipping inside the building, she headed towards the studio knowing it was the most likely location he was in. Her heart pounded as she raced down the hallway.

Nearing the studio doors she saw Silencer burst out of them. He was looking everywhere for any sign of Mr. Roth. He looked right and saw her. Using Officer Raincomprix voice and ask. "Who are you? I don't recognize you."

The purple outline appeared over Silencer's face. Kkachi tensed knowing Hawkmoth was informing Silencer about who she was and what her power was. When the outline disappeared the Akuma looked at her with amusement.

"Kkachi. That's a silly name for a superheroine. Your power is useless unless you want to power me up," Silencer taunted her. This time he used XY's voice.

Kkachi faltered for a second before responding. "What your doing is revenge, not justice. There is a more honorable solution to this. Don't let Hawkmoth misguide you."

"The only one who is misguided is you!" Silence shouted with Ladybug's voice.

He came at her, his hand extended towards her lips. She blocked him with her saber. She then pushed him back with the weapon. He came at her again forcing her back down the hallway. He was trying to maneuver her into the corner before she could turn the other way.

Kkachi responded with a spin kick to the chest. He fumbled back as she jumped over him. She quickly turned around and tossed her small cape over his head and pulled tight.

Silencer tried to pull the cape off of him. He was tearing at it when Kkachi detached it from her wrists and shoved him to the ground. She ran down the central hallway calling out, "What's the matter? Can't catch a little magpie?"

She felt him chasing her as tried to widen the gap just a little. She needed to keep out of his reach, but at the same time, keep his attention on her. She ducked into another hallway this time to the left then took a sharp right and jumped up onto the ceiling.

As she suspected, Silencer didn't look up because humans had a tendency not to do that. She waited until he was right below her and then dropped on him. He went down hard and she tried to pull the helmet off, but it would come off. He reached behind him and tried to get Kkachi's voice, but she swatted him away.

She heard her weapon beep knowing what that meant. She got off him and waved at him before she headed back to the studio. Getting there first, she saw Ladybug holding a red and spotted table lamp.

"He's right behind me. Get ready," she said. As she took her position behind Ladybug she called one her power. "Bestowment!" she tapped Ladybug's shoulders with her saber. Now her power would be supercharged.

The plan unfolded perfectly. With the power up Ladybug was able to get an industrial vacuum pack and was able to stay transformed for two extra minutes. Not only that, Bob Roth was caught on live TV admitting that the music and costumes his son used were based on Kitty Section.

So with the proper credit, the band got to jam it on live TV. It was a lot of fun and Juleka was happy her brother was okay. She still missed Honorra, who had to go back with the mysterious Peace Keeper, as soon as the transformation dropped.

* * *

So Juleka was out on the deck looking up at the stars. Below, her mother was talking with Luka, making sure he was okay after being akumatized. She had done the same for Juleka when she had been Reflekta.

"I'm glad I was able to help Luka. Still, my hesitation almost led to us to lose Ladybug and Chat Noir help forever when he took their voices." She switched from gazing at the stars to looking at the water. "Why do I keep hesitating?"

"I don't know. Maybe if we talk we'll figure it out," a tiny voice chirped. Honorra landed on the boat and looked up at Juleka. "I sensed you were troubled by today's events. The Guardian allowed me to come to see you for a little bit."

Juleka grinned a little and picked up the kwami. They went to the pilot house and she closed the door so they could talk in private. "I missed you Honorra."

"I missed you as well." The kwami's tail feathers tickled the teenager's hand earning a chuckle. "I'm here for you no matter what Juleka. All you need to do is talk."

The girl brushed the hair out of her eye and sank to the floor. "I hesitated again just as I did when you came to me the first time. I hesitate all the time. When I'm with a group, I can be a part of something bigger than me. It was one of the reasons I'm able to play in the band and give it my all."

Honorra tilted her head. "Does being in a group help you feel less hesitant?"

Juleka thought about it for a few seconds. "My best memories happen when I'm with a group. In art club, she can write the lyrics and I play some tunes until we figure out the best ones to use for a song.

The school photo wouldn't have happened without my friends either. I use to have terrible luck with photos and thanks to my class I finally broke the curse.

Oh and before that making the movie with the class was fun. Nino really liked my makeup skills."

Honorra chirped softly as she tickled Juleka's hand again, getting a little laugh. "Listening to you speak, I think I have figured out why you hesitate when standing alone."

Juleka eyebrows rose up as the little kwami told her the answer to her question.

"You hesitate because your fatal flaw is a lack of self-worth. Because people don't always notice you and you think that if your part of a group, then you can share some of the limelight. Juleka, why do you value yourself so little?"

The teenager bit her lip and looked away from the kwami. Honestly, she didn't know the answer to the question. Her family saw her value and her friends also really appreciated her. Why was it so hard to value herself?

"I'm not sure I can answer the question. I don't know why I don't value myself as much as I should. Others see value in me I know."

Honorra chirped lightly at hearing this. "Could it be hard because you don't know what they value about you?" When Juleka nodded Honorra continued. "You know I'm the kwami of Honor right?"

Juleka rolled her eyes. Of course, she knew that.

The kwami patted the girl's hand. "Honor is a difficult concept to understand sometimes. Honoring others by doing right by them is one example.

Another type of honor is fulfilling the wishes a family member has placed on you to make the best decision possible.

The most difficult part of honor is honoring yourself. If you can't do that then you can't really share honor with other people. Everyone has self-worth because each individual is important. It is vital that you remember this fact.

I could have chosen someone else to wield my power, but I chose_ you_ Juleka. Without even trying, you showed me who you are on the inside. An honorable individual who would do anything for those she cares about."

Juleka wiped the tears out of her eyes. Hearing Honorra repeat these words, she knew they had to be true. She was an honorable person and she was meant to wield this power. It was time to stop doubting herself.

The teenager stood up and kissed the top of Honorra's head. "Thank you for helping me and choosing me to wield your power. I promise I work on seeing my self-worth and if I'm needed again to help Ladybug and Chat Noir, I won't hesitate to step up."

"Good for you Juleka. Until we see each other again, keep being strong." The kwami kissed her on the cheek and flew off into the night. Ning was waiting for her further down the river to take her home.

* * *

The next morning at school, Ms. Bustier's class was wondering where their teacher was. The bell had rung and there was no sign of their teacher or Alya. The class started to whisper among themselves wondering what was going on.

Five minutes after the bell rang, Ms. Bustier entered the classroom with Alya. Both of them appeared to be subdued and not meeting anyone's eyes. They both stood in front of the teacher's desk.

"Class, if I may have your attention, please. Ms. Cesare has something she would like to say to all of you." She gave Alya an encouraging smile.

Alya lifted her head up and tried to make eye contact with the class. It was hard, especially when she looked at Marinette. She had practiced what she was going to say last night and now she could barely summon her voice.

"I owe all of you a huge apology for my behavior towards each of you these last few weeks, especially to you Marinette. I recently learned that Lila Rossi had taken advantage of me and was using stage hypnotism to cause me to act out."

The students either gasped or looked at Alya suspiciously, wondering if she was making up an excuse for her behavior. Ignoring this, Alya continued to apologize to the class.

"While Lila might have been the catalyst to my abrupt behavior, I am also guilt-ridden over my own actions. You can't make someone do something they don't want to do under hypnotism. What Lila did was lower my inhibitions and I let loose a lot of anger I had on all of you and especially at Marinette.

Before I came to Paris, I was bullied by someone I thought was my friend. I thought I had come to terms with my past. I hadn't and projected all my thoughts and anger onto you Marinette. I was a bad friend and didn't even think I was behaving badly.

I'm truly sorry for all the mean things I said and my actions towards you. I don't expect you to forgive me or trust me again, but I do promise I will do my best to make up for hurting you by listening better and taking your feelings into consideration. That goes for all of you as well."

When she finished she hung her head down, waiting for the class to respond. The students looked at Marinette, who stood up and walked towards the front. Alya kept her head down looking at the floor.

"Alya, can you look at me please?" Marinette asked gently. Alya lifted her head up and looked directly at Marinette. She mentally prepared herself for a lecture on her behavior or Marinette rejecting her apology.

"I was very hurt by the things you said and how you acted towards me. You didn't consider my feelings at all when you gave my seat to Lila nor did you listen to me when I explained my actions to you.

Instead, you continued to be very stubborn and cold to me, even after the truth was revealed. You were pejorative of the choices I made when it came to forgiving people or who I was hanging out with. You even lied to me and accused me of being a bully!

That's what hurt the most. You thought I was a bully even though I demonstrated over and over again how I would put others feelings ahead of mine. I thought you trusted and believed in me more than that."

Alya couldn't bear to look at Marinette in the eyes anymore. She looked down at the floor and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. Marinette was never going to forgive her.

Marinette gently lifted Alya's head up so they were facing each other once more. She then placed her hands on Alya's should steadying the girl. "I accept your apology Alya. I'm glad you were strong enough to realize your mistake.

I'm not ready to forgive you yet. What you did has me questioning our friendship and it will take time for me to trust you again. I'm going to give you a second chance, but remember, this is your only chance to make things right."

Alya wiped the tears from her eyes and thanked Marinette for accepting her apology. The two girls took their seats and opened their books, believing class was going to start, but it appeared the apologizing was just getting started.

* * *

Ms. Bustier had thought about what her colleague had told her. It was time she admitted her mistakes and take responsibility for what her actions had done to her class.

"Students I also want to take this turn apologizing to all of you. I have done wrong by you and I need to admit my mistakes." The students looked at their teacher wondering what she was talking about. With their eyes all on her, Ms. Bustier dug deep inside herself for the courage she needed to tell the truth.

"I know some of you are wondering what I'm talking about so let me explain. I have not been fair to most of you when it came to your feelings or classroom discipline." She raised her hand to stop the students from saying she wasn't unfair. "I have been making mistakes and I need to own them."

In her mind, she counted down to ten then looked at Ivan first. "Ivan, I should not have sent you to the headmaster's office on the first day of school. You were not the instigator and I shouldn't have made you take the blame."

She looked and frowned at Kim then added, "Kim, I should have disciplined you and worked harder to help you know when it was time to be serious instead of goofing around."

Her eyes went to Nathanial next. "I owe you an apology. I should have believed you when you said your parents didn't approve of the transfer. It was wrong of me to not to trust your word. I'm sorry."

She then looked at Max, telling him she should have tried to get him to go outside his comfort zone a little to help him expand his interests a bit more. The boy looked a little puzzled by this but accepted the apology nonetheless.

Her next apology was aimed at Juleka, Rose, Mylene, and Alix. She should have taken their feelings about being bullied much more seriously. She had failed them each in an individual way and she was sorry for her mistakes.

Her eyes became wet as she looked at Sabrina and Chloe. "I failed you both. Sabrina, I should have separated you from Chloe so you could learn what real friendship is and I should have disciplined you for doing Chloe's homework.

Being friends with someone does not mean you are a slave. You can speak up for yourself and do what you want too.

Chloe, I should have put an end to your bullying a long time ago. Misbehavior is not tolerated in other classrooms and I should have followed those examples. Your father does not have control over what anyone at the school does and I never should have given into you so much.

From now, both of you will be punished if I catch anymore cheating or you two break the school rules. Do I make myself clear?"

Both girls nodded knowing she was right and they wanted to start over.

Bustier concluded her apologizes to the remaining students. To Alya for not stepping in sooner to help her when she was in trouble. To Nino for not always listening when he thought something was wrong with his friends.

To Adrien, she as sorry she hadn't helped him understand the social skills and dynamics so he wouldn't have struggled so much with his peers. Her biggest apology was to Marinette.

"I'm sorry for not considering your feelings Marinette. It wasn't right of me to accept your gift and forget it had been vandalized. I should have also stepped in years ago when you were dealing with Chloe's bullying. It is not your job to set an example for other students to behave. It's my job and I haven't been doing.

I am truly sorry to all of you. Things have difficult ever since Hawkmoth showed up. Today's class period will be about each of us admitting our mistakes and asking for forgiveness.

If you don't want to participate or accept an apology that's fine. I'm not going to force you.

I want us all the start over and learn to be better people. Hopefully, we can learn from our mistakes and become better people. Now would anyone like to say something to someone else?"

Marinette raised her hand. She peered down at her boyfriend, who felt her eyes on him and turned to look at her.

"Adrien, I forgive you. You've shown me that you've learned from your mistakes. I also apologize for my actions towards you. I should have done that earlier and I apologize for taking so long. Please forgive me."

Adrien smiled pleased he was finally forgiven. "I shouldn't have said what I did. It was wrong of me to assign you the blame for creating Chameleon. The only one to blame is Hawkmoth. I forgive you for what you did to me."

Soon the rest of the class was apologizing to one another. They took turns listening to each other. Explaining why they were upset and what actions they were going to take make sure they didn't make the same mistakes.

It was a very emotive experience.

* * *

At Master Fu's shop, a small celebration was taking place. The paperwork for the adoption had finally been approved. Fu and Ning were now officially a family.

The four inhabitants were eating pieces of small cinnamon cake. Instead of tea, they were drinking lemonade. Soft music was playing in the background. The newly made father and daughter were enjoying a conversation.

"I'm going to miss you when you're back in New York. How soon do you think you can come for another visit?"

Ning took a sip of lemonade and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. It could be some time before I can come back. My bosses understand that my first peacekeeping team is a priority, but they have to think of which crises they can solve first.

A magical terrorist doesn't rank as high as resolving a conflict between countries to end a war."

"Too bad, it should rank higher," Honorra said as she nibbled on her piece of the cake.

Wayzz nodded in agreement. He understood why it didn't but wished it could be different. "At least when you do come back you know your family here."

Ning nodded enthusiastically. "I'm glad that you adopted me. I wish I could take the certificate with me, but we have to keep this a secret. I don't want to think about the amount of trouble I would be in if word got out I compromised myself on purpose."

Fu assured her he was keeping the paperwork in a very secure place and his friend had made sure his files couldn't be accessed either. Her secret would be safe.

"We should be getting you to the airport. It's a long flight back to New York." Fu stood up and went to get his wallet as well as Ning's suitcase. Returning with them he asked in a pleasant voice. "Shall we be going, daughter?"

Ning resisted the urge to cry. "Yes dad, let's get going. It was the start of a new chapter in both their lives. One which promised happiness and love.


End file.
